Inner Conflicts
by Tommycats
Summary: Enemies shouldn't be having a romantic interest in each other. But the four girls of Sequin Land do, much to their denial. How are they supposed to resolve their conflicts when their biggest opponents are themselves? Rated T for sexual/violent references and themes. Shantae/Risky and Rotty/Sky. Returned as of 05/06/19.
1. The First Step

**_I, in no way, shape, or form, own Shantae. How unfortunate. Rated T for language and sexual/violent references and themes. Enjoy!_**

The shaking and the rumbling ceased, the balls of fire and smoke from the explosions fading away. It was always a mystery why every major enemy exploded once defeated, whether they were mechanical or not. It was quite comical, really.

The dust finally settling, the purple-haired girl glared down the Pirate Master, her hands on her hips with a triumphant grin plastered across her face. The woman she risked her life for stood next to her, who, with hair disheveled, a number of cuts and bruises on her pale skin, and torn clothes that barely resembled her usual outfit, had her own triumphant smirk.

"You're finished, Pirate Master," Shantae yelled gleefully. She had come across just as badly as the woman next to her. Cuts decorated her bare arms, and bruises were starting to appear across her exposed torso. Nothing a potion couldn't fix. Or a visit to the healing spa.

"You've not seen the last of me!" threatened the Pirate Master, before exploding again and his remains blowing out with the wind. Her arms stung and her bruises began to ache, but she couldn't have been happier. The Pirate Master was dead (or presumed to be, anyway), her powers had returned, and Risky Boots was alive and safe, if not a little be shaken. Not that'd she admit to it.

As Risky turned to her, Shantae took note of how nice she looked with her hair down, draped across her face. But then again, Shantae always thought she had a hidden beauty to her, a contrast to her aggressive personality. Asking for her weapons and equipment back, Risky didn't look the least bit as worried as she had before. Shantae asked about the curse, and the pirate snickered and explained that with the Pirate Master dead, the curse was gone, and there was nothing to fear. Relief shot through the young half-genie while Risky told her how she was free of the darkness that ruled over her, that she was now able to make her own destiny without the influence of the Pirate Master shadowing her any longer.

"So… you're going to become a good guy?" Shantae tentatively asked. At this, Risky burst out laughing, but it wasn't her usual evil cackle. It was a genuine laugh, and something Shantae wished she could hear it more often.

"I didn't say that," snorted Risky, "listen carefully, runt." Risky started to slowly approach Shantae, the younger girl biting her lip nervously. Was Risky going to kill her then and there? After what she had done for her? ' _No,_ ' Shantae thought, ' _not even she would stoop that low… would she?_ '

"You walked the walk and you talked the talk," the pirate continued, "you even dressed the part." Shantae giggled a bit. Unable to resist, she pulled out the bandana and swapping it with her golden headpiece, if just for a moment. She quickly swapped them back over at the sight of Risky still walking towards her. Now wasn't the time for joking around. Risky could attack her at any second now!

"But in the end, you're no seafaring cutthroat. Far from it. You can't pretend to be something you're not," Risky stopped in front of Shantae. The height difference was evident; Shantae's nose barely reached the top of Risky's lips. The lips she couldn't stop staring at. Shantae finally broke her gaze away from them and made direct eye contact with Risky, having to tilt her head up a little bit to do so.

"And…" Risky's voice softened, her smirk fading slightly. The pirate snaked her hand to Shantae's cheek, and the half-genie's heart quickened at the contact. Quickly pinching herself with her free hand to make sure that this wasn't a dream, Shantae let out a tiny sigh of relief that she wasn't. ' _Relief? Really? Is that what I'm thinking right now? She might be planning to snap my neck, or gouge my eyes out, she wouldn't do_ that _. But I can dream, right?_ '

"Neither can I." The words interrupted the half-genie's conflicting thoughts, and she had barely any time to look at Risky before she felt the soft pressure of lips pressed against her own. Her azure eyes widened, before slowly closing and melting into it, pressing back. ' _Please be real, please be real, please be real_ ,' she repeated in her mind, never wanting the moment to end. She hated to admit it, but she had had a huge crush on Risky for a while. ' _It's not right_ ,' she would tell herself in her mind, ' _she's your rival. Your arch-nemesis. You fight each other. This alliance is only until the Pirate Master is defeated, don't get your hopes up on a silly crush._ ' But the moment Risky opened up to Shantae about her past, Shantae's wall of ' _why you shouldn't have a crush on Risky_ ' crumbled. On that ship, in the port of Frostbite Island, Shantae's crush on Risky rekindled, and she couldn't help but feel sour that their friendliness would end after Shantae had helped Risky beat the Pirate Master.

These memories flashed through Shantae's head, before blanking out again to savour the kiss. Her hand found its way to Risky's waist, but didn't dare to pull her closer. Not yet. But all good things had to come to an end, and the kiss ended far too soon for Shantae, and she groaned in disappointment as Risky pulled away. The guardian opened her eyes, staring into Risky's red gaze, a blush on her cheeks. Shantae couldn't blame her, she could feel her cheeks burning as well. They smiled at each other, before the taller woman averted her gaze, letting out a breath that neither of them had really noticed she was holding.

"So long," Risky murmured before turning around and walking off. Shantae's smile instantly dropped. She could hear her friends and uncle approaching her from behind. She never got to say anything, how could she just walk off like that!?

"Risky…I…I…" Shantae began, but the pirate was at the other end of the bridge between the castle's towers. Instinctively, she grabbed right arm with her left hand; a posture of vulnerability.

"Don't go!" she pleaded softly, but she knew it was already too late.

Risky was gone.

 ** _Prioritising a fanfic over my English essay! Oh yeah! Thanks for reading lads (and lass'), there's more to come! I may or may not upload another chapter until I've played through Risky's Revenge and Half-Genie Hero. Depends if I need to reference past events in the story, make up a story for the gap between Pirate's Curse and HGH, or if I can pump out another chapter without the need to do either. I may be able to, but this won't be updated for a few weeks either way, thanks to school._** ** _Sorry for any spelling or grammatical mistakes, I don't have a proof-reader and I'm too embarrassed to ask one of my friends to do it for me. Also, I spell words how they're spelled in Australia. Forgive me if this causes any inconvenience._** ** _Please Rate and Review! Constructive feedback will be taken into consideration!_**


	2. Make Up Your Mind

The creaking of the Tinkertub comforted her with familiarity. The gentle rocking reassured her, soothing her frustration. She was in her space, and nobody else had to share it with her. No more annoying, loud, short not-genie. Well. She had her Half-Genie status back now, but that wasn't the point.

On the deck, Risky watched the sun slowly sink into the ocean, turning the sky beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red. The odd seagull squawked out over the boat, and the smell of salt embedded itself into her nostrils, welcoming her home.

She groaned loudly again for what seemed like the millionth time. Why did she even do what she did? ' _Stupid, good-for-nothing, reckless runt._ ' But every time Risky thought these words, generally along those lines, and often with far more profanity, she replied to herself with ' _But she did it for you. She didn't hold anything against you. Not your outbursts at her, not for being the reason that she lost her magic in the first place, and not for the bathtub trick._ ' Risky smirked a little at the last one. What idiot didn't notice a random bathtub they never owned until they were forty seconds into a bath?

' _Her.'_

Risky groaned, probably for the billionth time.

* * *

"Risky! I thought I'd find you here!"

'Why _are you here, runt!? Can't you see that I'm_ BUSY _?!_ ' the pirate thought. She had made up her mind last night. It was all that damn genie's fault, because she's stupid, careless, and idiotic. ' _No she's not, stop lying to yourself. You wanted to see her just as much, didn't you?_ ' was the response. Risky growled internally. Maybe she hadn't made up her mind. She _did_ enjoy that kiss. And the runt _did_ respond to it.

Risky turned to face Shantae for the first time since the kiss that was definitely started by the genie and not by her in a moment of… weakness? Or was it her way of thanking Shantae for what she did? It definitely wasn't because of that time on the Tinkertub where they opened up to each other, nor was it the fact that Shantae was, indeed, beautiful and kind-hearted. Not at all.

Totally.

"Looks like your Tinkerbats are back to normal," the comment ringing through Risky's brain. Right. Composure, check. Trademark smirk, check. Witty response…

"They've got a lot of work to do." Not check.

"The Tinkertub will need some serious upgrades before I launch my next attack," Risky continued. Nothing was wrong with them being at least somewhat friendly, right? That means being truthful every once in a while.

The half-genie giggled, knowing Risky was kidding… "Right?"

Already fed up, the pirate completely forgot about the conflicts in her mind and subconsciously fell into an automatic annoyed mood.

"Why are you here? Still trying to convince me to become a goodie goodie like you?" That's right. Why exactly _was_ she here, besides obviously asking Risky to join the good side. No other explanation.

"I was just hoping to ask you something…" Of course you were, genie. Of course. Risky didn't say anything, prompting Shantae to continue on.

"How did you know the Dark Magic would change?" Ah. Well that wasn't the question she was so ready to answer back sarcastically. Might as well be nice. And honest.

"Oh, that. I didn't know, it was just a hunch. I figured if I gave you the lamp, you would put it to good use, and when I heard about the dreams, I figured the magic must be yours," Risky answered.

"But you knew I wouldn't destroy it. Somehow you knew it would change," Shantae prodded, obviously wanting a better explanation than that.

"How could it not?" Risky retorted. "With you sailing the seven seas doing good deeds for every hard luck case? I make it point to know my enemies. I knew that the Pirate Master would make a grab for the Dark Magic, and I knew you would do the opposite of common sense and hand it over," Risky finished with a smirk, knowing for a fact it would set the runt off.

"Well, yeah! To save _you_!" Shantae quipped, her friendly face turning more into a frown.

"Exactly," said Risky, getting tired of the genie's presence. Shantae looked a little hurt though, as if that comment actually meant something to her. Whatever. Risky wanted to get off the island, ordering her men to ship out.

"That doomsday device won't build itself!" She yelled at her Tinkerbats, watching them load up the ship with the last few resources. Turning back to Shantae, the pirate noted how she looked a little down. ' _Was it really that mean? I swear I've called her ruder things before. I can't leave her like this,'_ Risky thought, before catching herself. She can't leave her like this? What? She usually wouldn't hesitate to leave the runt in a bad mood; she could go cry to that blonde weight she's friends with. What was her name, Spree? Star? Ah, Sky, that was it. She could go back and cry to Sky. Whatever.

"Watch your back, runt," Risky warned, glaring at the short woman in her way.

"You too," Shantae spat back, her eyes a little seemingly wet. _Stupid, emotional girl. She probably cries when she breaks a plate,'_ Risky thought, pushing past Shantae, nearly making the genie lose her balance. ' _Is that_ really _how you're going to leave her? After all she's done for you?'_ Risky groaned silently. Not this again. ' _Of course I am, I've done it many times before. I did it after… that. Why shouldn't I do it this time?'_

 _'_ _You know exactly why,_ ' was the answer, and Risky stopped in her tracks. Okay, maybe she _was_ a bit mean with that comment, knowing now how Shantae felt thanks to how she responded to that kiss.

That Risky started.

That Risky wanted.

That Risky would do all over again.

"One more thing," she began, before she realized what she was saying. Maybe she could leave Shantae on a better note this time. Before she inevitably threw their relationship away with the next attack that she was already planning.

"Huh?" Shantae turned, wiping her eyes. Yes, leave her with some good news. The poor girl had nearly killed herself just for Risky. She deserved it, just this once.

"Your mother…" Shantae had her full attention devoted to her now. "You're just like her. Only shorter. And more annoying," the pirate said, unable to help herself and insulting Shantae a little.

"Risky!" Shantae giggled, her smile back at full beam, and her blue eyes sparkled once again. Risky could only smile, a genuine one, at Shantae's complete mood switch. The butterflies in Risky's stomach started to make themselves known.

"Smooth sailing!" Shantae wished upon the red-eyed woman. Risky could only nod, before quickly turning away and climbing onto her boat, afraid that if she spoke she would blurt everything out in a sappy confession.

She did have a reputation to keep, after all.

 **Yeah, I know, that was a tad more than 'a few weeks.' School's been bogging me down. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I know I'm kinda literally writing out the game script right now, but I promise that will change. I decided to edit them slightly to fit with where I want to go with the story, but I'm not sure if I'm making Risky or Shantae a little out of character because of that. Oh well, time (and feedback) will tell. Feel free to rate and review, and feedback will be taken into consideration!**

 **P.S. I still haven't played Risky's Revenge or HGH. I should probably get to that.**


	3. A New Friend

**_"_** ** _BOLO!"_**

The feminine voice travelled across the field and reached the boy's ears, and upon hearing the anger in that voice, he knew he had done something wrong. Preparing himself, he turned around to face the music.

"Hey Sky-"

"DON'T 'Hey Sky' _ME,_ " the frustrated blonde screamed back, slapping the screwdriver Bolo was holding out of his hand and pointing her finger at him threateningly. Her usually friendly and warm brown eyes were furrowed into an angry scowl, daring the young man across from her to talk back.

"THIS IS THE FOURTH, I REPEAT, _FOURTH_ TIME YOU'VE MESSED THIS UP! HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO SCREW UP THE FIRST TIME, LET ALONE _FOUR TIMES_!?" The furious girl was indicating to the mayor's lounging chair, which Bolo had constructed with the umbrella upside down as the table, the chair's back on top of the umbrella stand, and the table where the chair seat would be. The actual chair seat was half screwed onto one of the table sides.

"I dunno Sky, it's pretty hard to do without instructions. And everything is blurry with these glasses on, I honestly thought that table was the chair seat." Sky stared him down, her mouth opening and closing trying to say something, but finding it so unbelievably stupid she couldn't decide what to say. Bolo, the one who was talented enough to get half of Scuttletown's buildings back to their previous state within a few days (partly with Shantae's genie powers doing most of the work for him), was struggling with a chair, umbrella, and a table. Giving up, she yelled at Bolo to undo everything and get it right this time, storming off to where she was tending to the destroyed foliage, doing what she could to return them to their previous state.

"AND TAKE OFF THOSE STUPID GLASSES, YOU LOOK _RIDICULOUS_ IN THEM!" Sky shouted behind her, not caring whether Bolo heard her or not. She just had to get that out. _"Okay, Sky, calm down,'_ she thought to herself, _'you can take care of your back in the bath later, just pull through and—'_

"Excuse me –"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M IN THE MOOD FOR NEGOTIATIO- oh." Sky quickly clamped both hands on her mouth to stop any more words coming out, her face turning as red as Shantae's clothing. That wasn't Bolo.

That was Rottytops.

The zombie reeled back, eyes wide, clearly startled by Sky's extreme reaction, before crossing her arms and looking to the side.

"Well that's just rude," Rottytops grumbled, focusing on a cloud in the distance, faking hurt.

"Sorry," Sky squeaked, silently hoping that the ground would open up underneath her and save her from the embarrassment she was going through, covering her face with her hands. It had only been a day since Rotty came to Scuttle Town, and the two hadn't had much contact between then and now. Leaning back against the convenient fence, Sky shook her head slowly as she thought about how she had made a terrible impression of herself and how she had ruined any sort of friendship forever. While she decided how she was going to say sorry, she felt oddly warm hands pry her own hands away from her face, and Sky's brown eyes met vivid red.

"You alright in there?" asked Rotty, a slightly worried expression on her face.

"You look like you're going to faint. Do you want a drink?" Rotty's voice was sincere and Sky scanned her face, looking for any signs of deceit.

"I'm fine, thanks, I… I just… um… Sorry for yelling at you," Sky apologized, hoping that the zombie wouldn't hate her.

Or eat her.

"That's not the first time I've been yelled at, and it definitely won't be the last," Rottytops giggled, flashing a grin at Sky. Rotty let go of Sky's hands, and Sky felt the odd, undead warmth fade away. She hadn't even realized that they were still holding hands until that point.

"I've actually come to ask you a favour. Well, as long as you don't mind. Judging by the way you yelled at him, I don't want to be on your bad side," Rotty continued, pointing at Bolo, who seemed to finally be building the chair correctly.

"Uhh… when?" Sky asked," my back is really sore from lifting too much and I don't think I can do much more today without collapsing." She was beginning to feel more comfortable around the undead girl, even though they had talked for… literally three minutes, according to the clock tower. There was just something that clicked with Rotty, something she had only felt with Shantae and Bolo. And those two were now her best friends.

"…is that ok with you?" Rotty's voice penetrated her mind and Sky realized she was too lost in her own thoughts to notice what Rotty was asking.

"I wasn't—I wasn't listening, sorry. Could you repeat?" Sky's voice died out as the zombie deadpanned her, arms folded once again. So much for not embarrassing herself again. Sighing, Rottytops rolled her eyes and began once again.

"I was asking if you could help me set up a new home here, help me and my brothers find a place to grow coffee beans—"

"Coffee? Why coffee?" Sky interrupted. She was quite sure zombies ate brains, not drink coffee. But then again, zombies usually didn't have enough brain left to speak and act like a normal human being, let alone be friendly and currently asking for favours. Well, that was the vibe that Sky got from those romantic action books she totally didn't keep under her bed.

"If I was a normal zombie, you would be dead by now," Rotty giggled, "my brothers told me not to eat people who are alive, since that's apparently considered rude, so we live on coffee now. But don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some brains every now and again, and I've been eying the brains of a blonde bird tamer for a while now," she finished, an evil glint in her eye. Sky yelled out in fear and tried to back away, but backed into the still conveniently placed fence and ended up flipping backwards over it. Rottytops burst into laughter while Sky dusted herself off and got up, watching the undead girl clutching her stomach from the laughing.

"That was so – haha – worth it!" The zombie exclaimed, before falling into another fit of laughter. Sky just watched her, raising an eyebrow at the scene.

"What was worth it? Are you going to eat me or not?"

"No! I was just kidding! Hahaha!" Rotty managed to get out before laughing again, but not so intensely. _'Cheeky bastard. Just like Shantae when she was younger,'_ Sky thought, before hopping over to the other side of the fence, but not without banging the sore spot on her back against one of the poles. Hissing in pain, Sky rubbed the area but was surprised to feel hands that were not her own there.

"Are you okay? I can go get you a potion if you want," Rottytops offered, so serious it was hard to believe she couldn't breathe from laughing a few moments ago.

"Please get off me," Sky quipped, batting the zombie away.

"What were you going to say after the coffee bit?" She asked, as her back started to give her trouble again.

"Oh. Well I just… you're not angry at me are you?" Rottytops prodded. She didn't want to be on Sky's bad side, witnessing what had just happened to Bolo earlier. When Sky shook her head and gave her a weak smile, Rotty felt it was safe to continue.

"Awesome! I wanted to know if you… if you would let me stay at your place for a bit while we set up a new house. My brothers don't have the space to fit me in at the cave they're using for now, and my 'Trailer of Secrets' has too much stuff in it for me to do anything properly. So, could I stay over for a bit?" Rotty finished with a smile, using her charm to convince Sky. Sky, however, was a little bit stunned. She barely knew the girl, and wasn't even sure if she could cover payment for both of them. Assuming, of course, that Rotty had no gems or intention to get any legitimately. But aside from that, she was also a zombie, and who knew what she would get up to in the night.

"Please, Sky?"

But on the other hand, she did seem quite friendly, if a little mischievous, and didn't seem to have any harmful intentions. Plus, Sky felt more comfortable around her than she would've liked to admit; she seemed to have the qualities that attracted Sky to Shantae and Bolo in the first place.

"Fine—"

"YAY! THANK Y—"

" _BUT_ ," Sky said firmly, pushing the undead girl off of her, "it's my house and my rules. You'll have to follow them if you want to stay. And aside from that, you'll have to pay for your own things. I can barely cover myself without the odd support from Shantae. And _please_ give me personal space when I ask. I'm not used to living with anyone else but Wrench."

"Of course!" Rotty gleefully agreed, clasping her hands to the side of her head. Sky wasn't even sure that she had listened. The next moment, Sky found herself in a hug, and she reluctantly returned the favour until her back panged again. Squirming out of the hug, Sky held her tongue, not wanting to sound in pain lest Rotty get all touchy again, before asking her when she would come stay over.

"I was hoping from tonight," she said, the smile never leaving her face. _'Of course she wants it from tonight.'_

"Very well," Sky replied, fatigue getting the better of her. "I'll meet you outside the bakery around four."

"Okay! See you then, bird girl!" Rotty giggled, walking off to tell her brothers that she'd found a place to stay.

 _'_ _What did she just call me? "_ Bird Girl _?" Is that normal or is she trying to flirt with me?'_ Sky pondered, but her back once again interrupted anything she thought of.

She could not wait for that bath.

Or to play with Señor Quackles VII once more.

 **Sky does not the seem like a girl that you want to get angry.**

 **I decided to take a break from Shantae and Risky to focus on the other two girls that I definitely do not have plans for in the future. This is the last chapter I can write without being forced to play HGH and Risky's Revenge, even though I tell myself nearly every night 'I'm gonna play it.' Procrastination wins again. I have no idea when I'll get around to writing the next chapter, that depends on whenever I play another one of the series and get some inspiration. I am on school holidays however, so it shouldn't be too long. But don't count on that, the homework I receive is ludicrous.**

 **I'm finding it a little hard to keep the personalities of the characters in line with where I want to go with the story. I was originally going to add Poe in this chapter but couldn't quite get a conversation that suited his personality. Hopefully I didn't go too off course with Rotty's or Sky's, but I'm not sure how long I can keep that up for - with all the characters. I also had to rewrite this chapter about three times before I was happy with it, but no doubt there is an inconsistency somewhere. Sorry about that.**

 **Feedback and criticism would be appreciated, and as I most likely won't post before then, have an early Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

 **P.S. Chapter Names are hard.**

 **P.P.S I'm going to try and make chapters this length from now on. Keyword: Try.**


	4. Knotted Hair and Ruffled Feathers

Shantae groaned as she fluttered her eyes open, squeezing them shut at the harsh, late morning light. Pulling her tank top over her exposed chest – probably caught somewhere on the sheets during her sleep – she rolled to the side and stared at the wall through lidded eyes. Various body parts ached and throbbed, originating from the intense fights she had the day before. The healing spas were good for open wounds and cuts, but anything on the inside or any pain that came later on had to be healed through drinking a potion, and Shantae didn't want to get into the habit of using them for any and every injury.

Focusing on a patch of sunlight shining across her wall, the genie thought back to the celebration for her heroic deeds. She had partied hard, harder than usual – the experience of being in and speaking to the Genie Realm begged for a well-deserved, special treatment. Shantae unconsciously smirked, thinking back to how much alcohol Sky had consumed during the night. It was enough that the heroine had even spotted her joking around and conversing with Rottytops. The smirk disappeared at this thought. What ever happened to their relationship? A few weeks ago, they were the best of friends, nearly as close as Shantae was to Sky, and then all the friendliness (and dare Shantae say, romance) died.

Shantae winced as a particular spot on her leg pulsed intensely for a moment, breaking her train of thought. Going over the previous day's battles, she tried to recall when she got hit there. It wasn't the Giga-Mermaid, and it definitely wasn't Ammo Baron's prototype flying suits. Squid and Hypno Baron didn't deal many bruising hits either; Squid was squishy and Hypno used his fire spells. This only left one suspect.

Risky Boots.

Shantae bit her lip as the bruise pulsed sharply, pain running up her calf. That was the spot Risky dug her heel in as Shantae tried to dodge her cutlass charge, it had to be. She whimpered a little as it reached a new intensity, instinctively moving her hand to rub the spot. She yelped as she came in contact with it, ripping her hand away from the offending spot. Sitting up, she threw the bedsheets off and pulled her pant leg up, confronted with the sight of a large purple bruise, beginning to swell, with erratic scarlet lines stemming from the centre. _'I'm going to use a potion for this,'_ she thought, ' _I'm not dealing with this today._ ' She had her mind made up, and stepped out of the bed to make her way to the medical chest she had on each floor of her house.

And promptly collapsed.

The fall revived all the previous aches from before, and Shantae felt her whole body overcome with soreness. ' _Yep, definitely going to need that potion now.'_ Realising she couldn't put pressure on her leg without it becoming numb, Shantae dragged herself to the chest, fishing around for the pack of potions that she knew was in there. _'Bandages, splints, clips, thread, cloth… teddy bear?'_ Shantae held up the plush, shaking her head and putting it aside. ' _Ah, there it is._ ' Flipping over to sit against the wall, the purple-haired girl took a swig of the magenta fluid.

With the potion working its magic, the girl leaned her head back against the wall and sighed, her thoughts returning to Risky. Risky had shown no mercy during the battle, and was hell-bent on taking over the Genie Realm for herself. Shantae wasn't upset about that though, it was typical of Risky to want full control over everything. What had hurt Shantae most was how Risky acted like she had forgotten what the guardian genie had done for her. ' _I saved her life, and she goes and does this…'_

Shantae sniffed. It was an excuse. A huge excuse. She knew this was going to happen, Risky had even warned her to watch her back before she left. Shantae wasn't silly, she knew exactly why she was upset. She had hoped, oh so hoped, that the self-proclaimed Queen of the Seven Seas would return to her as a friend, and something more.

"You're a fool," she muttered to herself in-between sips, "a fool blinded by a stupid crush and… oh no… not again."

It was at this moment that Shantae dropped all thoughts about Risky and noticed the state of her hair. Various sizes of knots were scattered across the silky, unkempt sheet of purple. Potions also rejuvenated the state of hair, but wouldn't untie or get rid of knots that were in it, and a simple bath with her specialised shampoo and conditioner wasn't going to do it alone.

"This is going to take forever," Shantae moaned aloud. It hadn't reached a state like this in years, and even then it was just small mats and knots. Grunting in annoyance, the genie got up and grabbed her hairbrush before heading downstairs to her bathroom, beginning the long process of fixing up her hair.

* * *

The sound of violent retching filled the normally peaceful air at Sky's house.

She was in the kitchen, hunched over the sink, feeling sick to the bone. She had had far, _far_ too much to drink the night before, celebrating Shantae's feat. Now she was regretting that decision. At least her parents weren't home for another few weeks.

A green hand was rubbing and patting the blonde's back, attempting to comfort the trembling girl. The zombie that stood next to her was very concerned, and had been looking after Sky the entire morning.

"I told you to go away," Sky said, breathing heavily. "I'll kick you out if I have to, I'm able to look after myself."

"If you were serious about that, you would have kicked me out long ago, able to look after yourself or not," Rottytops replied, rolling her eyes. "If you claim to look after yourself so well, maybe you wouldn't have got so hammered last night, and I wouldn't have had to escort you home."

"Nobody asked you to bring me home."

"And nobody asked you to bring that attitude. Now shut up and drink this. It'll stop you from vomiting later, and judging by how you're going right now, you're going to want it." Rotty placed down a glass of water in front of Sky, the last remains of a pill slowly dissolving, and folded her arms. Sky glared at the glass, willing it to break, but in the end decided to take it, after another violent retch weakened her body.

"This better not hav—"

"It's not poisoned, I promise. It's just some medicine I… _borrowed_ from the store."

"You stole it? Rotty, that's a crime!"

"We have a natural detective here, everyone!" Rotty announced to no one in particular. "Would you rather be sick for the rest of the day or out there with your birds," she finished, pointing down the road where Sky's hatchery was. "If it helps, they were closed, and I'm going to pay them once they're open. Happy now?"

Sky exhaled. If the zombie with the very unamused face had gone to all this trouble for her, and if it did as she said it would, then Sky might as well drink it. It couldn't put her in a worse form than she already was, right? She brought the glass to her lips, then hesitated. If she could finish a whole ale in one swig…

Sky tilted her head up and let the liquid flow into her mouth, swallowing it as it entered. After drinking nearly the entire thing, the hooded girl was unable to hold her breath any longer, and swallowed the rest in one massive gulp. The last bit didn't go down properly however, and Sky broke into a coughing fit, bending over the sink again just in case it ended messily. Between her coughing, she could hear Rotty cheering.

"Woo! No wonder you drank so much last night! If you get an ale down like that, that's more time for more drinks! That's an awesome strategy!" Rotty exclaimed gleefully, clapping her hands in front of her. Sky glared daggers at her in-between coughing, clearly not sharing the same level of enthusiasm. Or enthusiasm at all.

"Knock, knock!" A voice said from the door. Both girls turned to find the local purple-haired dancer leaning in the doorway.

"Shantae!" Rotty yelled, running over to hug her friend.

"Rotty, it's been a day, you're acting like you've haven't seen me for months," Shantae said, but returned the hug anyway. While doing that, she looked over at Sky, whose mood had soured even more, her face clearly stating it.

"What's wrong Sky?" Shantae asked, releasing the hyped zombie.

"Take her away."

"What?" Both Shantae and Rotty said at the same time.

"Take her away. Please," Sky repeated, her voice unwavering.

"What?!" Rotty shouted, anger taking over. "After I take _you_ home last night, kept watch while _you_ slept to make sure _you_ didn't choke on your own sick, and fetched medicine for _you_ to feel better, _I'm_ the one who has to go? _WHY!?_ "

"Uh, girls, there's no need to—"

"Well first of all, _Rottytops_ , I am completely capable enough to handle myself perfectly fine, watching over me is pretty creepy, you _stole_ that medicine, which tasted like expired fish, and lastly, I don't trust you anywhere near me or my birds after _you know what_ ," Sky spat back, slamming the glass she still held down on the bench, scowling at Rotty.

Rotty scowled back, a remark on the tip of her tongue, before turning around and stomping out of the building, carelessly shoving Shantae out of the way.

"Ow, hey-," Shantae began, before whipping her head around to look at Sky. "Sky, what did you do? She's going to do something rash now." The brown eyed girl looked completely unconcerned. "Sky! I don't care what happened in this 'incident' but that was _completely_ unnecessary, and you know it!" Shantae continued, prodding Sky to say something. But all the blonde haired girl did was silently look away.

"Ugh, you're in one of your stupid moods again. Maybe when you're not so unresponsive, I'll come back."

Shantae didn't even bother waiting for a response, running out the doorway in search of her undead friend. Painful bruises, knotted hair, and now two friends fighting over a mistake that was made weeks ago. ' _What a terrific start to this day,_ ' she thought as she transformed into a harpy to get an aerial view of the town, and hopefully spot the clearly emotional zombie.

Back in her home, Sky stared out the window, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

* * *

 **That was a bit longer than expected. It took me ages to finally get to HGH, and I haven't quite finished the Friends to the End expansion. But the game itself is really fun, soundtrack is amazing as usual. Only wish I had found out about the game earlier and backed it so I could have that really cute bikini skin for Shantae.**

 **Anyway!**

 **I'm back at school so chapters will take a while again, or at least around the same time. It's Year 12 so not only is it the most intense and stressful year for me, it's my last in high school, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.**

 **I'm sorry if this chapter isn't up to scratch (are any of them?) or the characters seem OOC (they probably do), I wrote this while in an English homework mindset, so I may come back and edit this another time if required.**

 **I now have a Twitter account that I'll try to post updates on my stories on, which should be on my profile.**

 **Feedback is appreciated!**

 **Tommycats**

 **P.S.**

 **I really cannot decide who is second best girl besides Shantae.**

 **It's Sky.**

 **Wait, no, Rotty.**

 **Sky.**

 **Rotty.**

 **See my problem?**


	5. Comforting a Friend

Shantae sat on a cluster of rocks, overlooking the view of the setting sun over the Sequin Sea. The orange light radiating from the fiery ball reflected and bounced off the water, imitating the night sky that would soon be over the land.

A small sigh emitted from beside her. Looking to her left, Shantae laid eyes on the dark green hair and yellow headband that belonged to her zombie friend. Rottytops was leaning her head on Shantae's shoulder, tired and defeated, lazily watching the sun set.

Shantae had spent nearly the entire day trying to comfort the hysterical zombie, who had ended up going on a rampage in her own home, throwing objects and screaming insults about everyone. At one point, the half-genie was afraid she would have to fight Rottytops just to get her to calm down. Instead, Shantae grabbed both of Rotty's arms in a firm grip and crossed them, gently reassuring the fuming girl. What she didn't expect was for Rotty to burst out crying and crumple into a heap on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't even know zombies could cry until that point.

Rotty let everything out. The lengths she goes to be accepted. How hard it is for her to break some villainous habits. Her restraint in not attacking people who annoy her and eating their brains with a cup of quality coffee.

Her love for Sky.

Shantae listened. She silently sat in the chaotic mess of Rotty's house and listened. Once the green girl had got everything out, she wordlessly reached out and pulled Rotty towards her in a long hug. Rubbing her back, Shantae whispered that everything was going to be okay and that they would sort it out together. She told the zombie she was going to take her to a place that she used whenever she was troubled.

That's how they were at a secluded cliff area, with lush grass surrounding a small circle of rocks that were perfect for sitting on. Bushes sprouted further back and the singing of birds echoed from the nearby trees.

The guardian genie reached around Rotty and pulled her closer. The zombie made a small noise of surprise but didn't resist.

"Are you okay?" Shantae asked, brushing some of Rotty's hair out of her face.

"Yes… maybe… no," was the quiet reply. "She hates me."

"No she doesn't. You know that Sky isn't a hundred percent sure about your loyalty."

"I-I thought I proved it to her when I— _we_ saved you from your dark version."

"Yes, but… um…" Shantae had exhausted her supply of reassurances and comforts. There wasn't really anything she could do or say without certainty unless she knew about this 'incident' that Sky spoke of. It was clear to see that the distrust stemmed from whatever happened between the two at the time. She squeezed Rotty a bit tighter as the temperature slowly declined, the sun showing nothing but a fraction of itself.

"Why can't she see me like you do?" Rotty asked, turning to face Shantae with sadness in her eyes.

"What do you mean? I don't see you as anything different to Sky, or even Bolo. You're my friend."

"That's not what I mean, snack cakes," the zombie said, smiling a little when Shantae pulled a face. She really didn't like that nickname. "When we were in your Nightmare Realm, we saw someone we didn't recognise. At least not at first." Rotty paused, thinking back to what had happened during the conversation between them.

"We saw, well, me. In my human form. Bolo then came up with the idea that it was because you saw me for who I really am, and not just what I look like on the outside. Is it true, Shantae?" Rotty looked hopefully at the half-genie, who was looking at the zombie intently.

"Of course, Rotty! That's such a silly thing of you to think – that I wouldn't see you for who you are."

"So why can't Sky do that?" Rotty asked, slumping back down onto Shantae's shoulder. The purple-haired girl sighed, not knowing what to say. The sun finally disappeared, a red hue slowly melting into the dark blue of the night sky.

"What happened, Rotty? This 'incident.' It's clear that's what's making her distrust you." Shantae's mouth was dry. She was beginning to doubt her own ability to help her friends.

"Do you really need to know?"

"If you want me to help you out, I'm afraid I do," Shantae responded. Rottytops exhaled loudly, clearly not happy with having to share the details.

"I may have bitten a few of her birds to keep as my own pets without asking and didn't realise how fragile they were and might've killed them and then we had a fight and I may have hit her in anger and broken some eggs and now she hates me because I'm too selfish to ever think of anyone but myself," Rotty said as fast as possible, gasping for air near the end. She might be a zombie, but she had enough organs intact that she needed nearly everything a human needed to survive, like oxygen.

Shantae, on the other hand, sat there quietly, processing (or at least deciphering) what the undead girl next to her just said. She then began to piece together what seemed like the biggest issue.

Firstly, Rotty had admitted she had taken birds without asking, and ended up killing them. That would obviously upset Sky as her she treated her birds extremely well, sometimes even better than she treated herself. Secondly, she knew that Rotty and Sky both had tempers, and if igniting one of them wasn't bad enough, setting both off would end in disaster. Since both _were_ set off, Shantae wasn't surprised Rotty had resorted to physical violence, as Sky's wit and not-take-crap from anyone attitude far surpassed the zombie. The death of some birds might've even fuelled Sky enough to start getting very personal. Lastly, Rotty destroyed some eggs as a final jab into Sky's pride, before leaving. _'That must be why Sky was particularly snappy and moody a few weeks ago.'_

Shantae sighed again. There was a clear reason why everything happened, but she really didn't want to have to break it to Rotty like this.

"Alright," she began. "You're in the wrong here –"

"I know that!" Rotty interjected, not meaning to yell so loudly.

"Then what do you want me to do!?" Shantae yelled back, throwing her hands into the air, before placing her head in her hands. "I can't even help my own friends…"

"Yes, you can, I've seen in before, and I'll see it many more times, I'm sure of it," Rottytops encouraged, but to no visible effect. "Look, I just want to you to help me find a way to fix this. I know what I did was wrong, you don't need to tell me that, but if you want something in return…"

This got Shantae's attention. She snapped her head up and stared at the zombie, who was sporting a cheeky, almost seductive grin. So much for being hysterical.

"What are you implying, Rotty? If it's what I think it is…" Shantae shuddered, not sure if it was from the cold or from the thought that came across her mind. "Leave it for Sky." She glanced at the undead girl and noticed some of her energy had disappeared at the mention of the bird keeper.

"No, it's not… _that._ Although I admit, I _have_ thought about it before," Rotty teased, her grin returning as Shantae blushed as red as her garments. "But I was going to offer you this," she continued, waving a scroll of paper in the air. Where she was even pulled that from, Shantae will never know.

"But I want you to help me apologise to bird girl," Rotty finished, using the pet name she kept for Sky.

"'Bird Girl?' Really? Surely you could've come up with something better than that, like—"

"Shantae."

"Fine. You killed Sky's birds, so she'll want some back," the genie started, formulating a plan that would hopefully get the two former friends back together. "Do you know of any rare birds that she may not have?" she asked.

"Rare? Why rare?"

"Because, Rotty, bringing her any bird won't mean much but a cheap apology. You want it to mean something, don't you?" Shantae questioned, watching Rotty for an answer. She nodded.

"Then a rare bird will show her that you're truly sorry, and would mend your relationship a bit. The rest is up to you, though. You probably won't be getting into her bed—" Shantae paused. Maybe she could get back at the zombie for the embarrassment a few moments ago. "—or her pants, for a while." That did it. _'Who's embarrassed now, Rotty?'_

"I-I-I, uh, w-well I do know of a-a bird that she might, um, that she might like," the zombie stammered, certain Sky-themed thoughts entering her mind. _'Snap out of it, Rotty, don't think like that. Not here anyway.'_ Taking a deep breath, Rotty composed herself and turned to face Shantae, who was giggling away like a schoolgirl.

"Shut up," she said, but couldn't help smiling at the situation. "There's a bird I know for a fact that featherhead wouldn't have. She's too scared to go to Mud Bog Island. But do I need to get the bird?"

"What's wrong with getting the bird?" Shantae asked, thinking of the monstrosities that greeted her on her visit there. Hopefully the bird wasn't one of them.

"It's highly aggressive. It nearly took off Poe's head once, even though he was just passing by and had done nothing to disturb it," Rotty explained, not bothering to mention that she got too scared to out without one of her brothers for a week after that. "I'd rather get its egg and give it to Sky. That way she can teach it to be friendly from birth, rather than letting an actual one tear her to bits."

"Surely there's another bird you could get? And wouldn't getting its egg be really risky?"

Rotty shook her head. "Once a week, it hunts from dawn to dusk, bringing in a massive beast to feed itself for a week. I could run in and grab while it's away."

"How do you know that? I thought you weren't interested in birds," Shantae said. "Before you met Sky," she added quickly.

"Uhh… Abner brought back a book he had found buried near a tree. Since I had no new comics at the time I decided to read it. It was the recordings of a bird enthusiast, who had studied this particular bird for a few months. Judging by the blood on the last written page, either the bird or another beast got to them," Rotty recited, piecing together the memories of that book. "It also said that they only ever spotted seven of these birds."

"You know what you have to do," the half-genie said, before noticing the look on her friend's face. "What? You expect _me_ to go back _there?_ Never. Not after last time. Besides, you know the place better than I do."

"But—"

"No 'buts,' Rotty, this is your doing, and you have to fix it," Shantae stated in a tone that wouldn't take no for an answer. She didn't like being so forceful and unfair, but there was no other way to handle this situation. Plus, that trip to Mud Bog really had mentally scarred her.

"I'm scared. What if I die? What if the egg breaks? What if she never speaks to me again?" Shantae looked over to Rotty again, to see her hugging herself in what appeared to be fear.

"Just believe in yourself. The same way you believed in me, even when I didn't believe I could do anything. Not to mention that I believe you can do it too," Shantae reassured, patting Rotty's back. The zombie stayed silent for a while, her bottom lip quivering. Shantae took the time to look back out over the sea, trying to spot the constellations that her uncle had taught her to look out for. She shivered. It was getting quite cold – usually nights were pretty warm. Must be the area.

"Here."

Jumping at the sound of Rotty's voice, the genie saw that she was holding out the scroll from earlier, though Rotty never took her eyes off the horizon, seemingly avoiding eye contact with Shantae. Taking the scroll, Shantae was surprised to find it was a map of a moderately sized island, with a large circle around the Eastern side.

"You see people for who they are, not what they look like, or what they've done to you before," Rotty spoke, gaining the interest of the guardian genie.

"You look at me and see my human form. You see my spirit, my loyalty, my flaws. You know what I've done to you in the past. Yet you see past that for who I really am."

"Where are you going with—"

"You're kind to everyone, good or bad. You did errands for the Barons, and you even wish them luck. You probably see past their flaws and see the good in them, like you do with me."

"Rotty, I—"

"So it doesn't surprise me when you chase after a woman like Risky. She's evil. She betrayed you. She's out to kill you. Everyone knows of her deeds, yet you, and only you, want to get closer. To an extent, you want from her, what I want from Sky." Rottytops paused, running out of words to say in her speech.

"You want a relationship with one of, if not the most, dangerous people in Sequin Land. Why?"

Shantae swallowed. She wasn't expecting that. She had tried so hard to keep it hidden, to keep her desires supressed. Now Rottytops was asking her why she wanted something from Risky. But Shantae didn't even know herself.

Why risk it all for Risky?

"W-well, I... I feel connected to her. She might be my arch-nemesis, but I know she's good on the inside. Even though she used me to save herself from the Pirate Master, she felt like a friend. She treated me nicely, and she taught me how to work the ship. She even… well, she…"

"She kissed you. I know. That's why I got you that map." Rotty slid over to Shantae and rubbed her back as tears started to form in Shantae's eyes.

"I shouldn't have asked why. I'm sorry. It's not my place to judge you for who you like, or love, especially after everything you've done for me. Even after my rotten behaviour towards you." The purple-haired girl sniffed loudly, a few tears starting to streak down her face.

"I promise to keep it a between us, Shantae. It's not my secret to tell, and I'll support you whenever you tell your uncle and friends. I'll make sure that if anyone ques—Shantae? Oh no, please don't cry."

The roles had reversed; now it was Rottytops who was comforting Shantae, who was crying silently into the zombie's neck as she was affectionately hugged. Now it was Rotty who was whispering reassurances into the other's ear. Now it was Rotty who rubbed Shantae's back, listening to the genie's muffled sobs against her neck.

"Why'd she have to attack again? It was as if she didn't remember anything I did for her," Shantae sobbed into Rotty's neck. The two girls sat there for what seemed like hours, until silent crying turned into quiet sniffles and hiccups.

"Better?" The zombie asked? Shantae nodded, flicking her eyes between Rotty's and the ground.

"Good. I'll get straight to the point. That map shows the closest thing Risky has to a home. Her 'secret' cave is circled, as you can see," Rotty explained, sarcastically waving her fingers as she said the word 'secret.'

"My bet is that she's there right now, planning the next attack. If she even has the funds for it. That's your chance to go confront her," Rotty finished, watching Shantae carefully for any signs of more crying.

"O-o-okay," Shantae shivered. It was really starting to get cold, and clouds were beginning to block out the night sky. "Thanks, R-Rottytops."

"No, Shantae. Thank _you._ I know what I have to do to get back on Sky's good side. Also, thank you for being such an amazing friend. I couldn't think of anyone who would have come after me like that."

"Th-that's w-w-what fr-friends are f-f-for, r-right?" Shantae shakily replied. Rotty didn't like the way Shantae was starting to shake.

"Come on. You're going to freeze to death at this rate. I don't want a frozen genie brain, I want a warm one," Rotty joked, standing up and extending her hand to Shantae, who gladly took it. "I'll take you home." Hoisting the genie up, the zombie began the walk back, before realising something.

"You wouldn't mind me sleeping over for a night, would you? Some angry green girl was going through my house and throwing everything around like a madman, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep in that mess."

Shantae laughed.

* * *

 **TWO UPDATES IN A SINGLE MONTH!? WHAAAAAAT!?**

 **Gonna keep this short. Got 'work' to do (those chicken dinners don't win themselves)**

 **I'm trying to get the more emotional side of the characters, but I might be making them a bit OOC. Am I?**

 **Also, I probably missed some mistakes while reviewing this chapter, so feel free to PM me if you spot a mistake.**

 **And, I suck at titles.**

 **Feedback and Suggestions appreciated!**

 **-Tommycats**

 **P.S.**

 **RISKY POV IS COMING I SWEAR!**


	6. Confrontation

The scratching of pen against paper filled the quietness of the large cave. A purple-skinned woman was bent over a table, marking the scroll in front of her as thoughts entered her mind. Around her, the cave was quite luxurious and comfortable.

A moderate hole was positioned over the water, where water from the recent rainfall dripped into the empty harbour. A few other, smaller holes dotted the place, vines trailing down like curious snakes, with refreshing sunlight shining through, creating lively shadows that danced across the walls. In a corner of the cave were piles, crates, and barrels of gold, items, and rum. Much of the bigger and more exotic stuff was displayed around the cave, from exquisite swords to detailed models and statues.

A massive, four-poster bed was in a corner, away from all the holes in the roof, its rich, purple sheets contrasting against the golden pillars. Candles were lit next to it, and a book and a diary were rested upon a carved wooden nightstand. A picture frame sat next to them, the sunlight reaching just far enough to conceal its contents.

The pirate had her tongue stuck out to the side of her lips, deeply concentrated on the work she was doing. Her trademark hat sat to the right of the large desk, along with her cuffs and even her belt. Her trusty sword was, of course, nearby, leaning against the stool that she was sitting on.

Stopping her writing to shake the soreness from her hand, Risky looked at the sheet of paper with pride. So much work had been done through the day, compared to what her usual output was. ' _Good thing I took this pen with me. Much easier than ink and a feather. I might need a refill soon though… actually, I'll just steal another.'_ She thought for a moment. ' _That's way too much trouble for a single pen. Refill it is!'_ Risky decided, delicately opening the drawer next to her, not wanting to break any of the ink holders.

* * *

An hour later, Risky sank into her bathtub, letting the hot water soothe her. She sighed, leaning her head back and looking at the roof of the cave. She let her mind wander, unconsciously tracing the cracks she spotted. Today had been productive. She had a new plan, and this time – _this time ,_ it was going to work. Nothing was going to stop her this time. No wallowing hog-man, no ghost in the rain poncho, no –

No genie _brat._

Narrowing her eyes, Risky thought about all the things that she would've had if it weren't for that childish runt. All the power, all the control, over every town and village in Sequin Land. She would be feared! Well, more than she already was. She would have everything at her demand! Wait, she had that too. She would have… she would… have…

What didn't she have?

Risky slowly tilted her head back forward, cooing as her neck popped, relieving her of some discomfort. She sank lower into the tub, letting the water cover everything but the top half of her head, long purple hair both floating in the water and hanging from the tub.

Long purple hair. Someone else also had long purple hair. Long enough to be a deadly weapon, and the bane of Risky's existence. _'Stop thinking about her you fool. You're making it worse. She's nothing to you,'_ she denied in her own mind.

But try as she could, Risky couldn't stop thinking of her arch-nemesis. The way she spun away from attacks, her cute dance on the spot, her determination. Risky saw it all as flaws. Shantae's naivety could get her into serious trouble, and her determination could do likewise. Her kindness could be abused, and, as proven twice now, her magic was a vulnerability. Yet there was something to Shantae that even Risky admitted was exceptional about her. Shantae never held grudges, and was always willing to give everybody a fair chance, no matter what they did to her, even if the genie was in a mood. The dancer had been Risky's closest thing to a proper friend for a short period of time. Risky couldn't remember the last time she had someone to confide in, to open herself up to.

The pirate gasped, before violently coughing out the mouthful of water she had just inhaled. She had forgotten exactly how submerged under the water she was. Leaning out of the tub, Risky spat out the remaining water, staring wide-eyed at the floor. That's what she didn't have, what she was missing from her life of luxury and riches.

A friend.

A relationship.

A lover.

A… family.

Close to tears, the usually harsh and threatening pirate scrambled out of the tub, snatching a towel on her way out, barely drying herself as she slipped into cleaner gear. She didn't mean to awaken _those_ memories. She wanted nothing to do with them. Ever. So, instead, Risky dealt with the influx of emotions the only way she knew how.

By turning them to anger.

She gritted her teeth, wiping a tear away from her eye, and punched the cave wall hard. The pain shot up her arm, but that just aggravated Risky more, who punched the wall again and again and again, until her knuckles were bleeding. But that would not stop the crazed woman, who started getting vocal.

"Stupid, meddling, childish, bratty, genie _runt_!" Risky screamed, picking up whatever she could grab a hold of and throwing it as hard as she could, wherever she could.

It wasn't her fault. Shantae either wasn't born or extremely young when it happened. But blaming her felt _good._ Just as good as slamming that sword into that barrel of rum.

"You are the bane of my existence and _I CAN'T WAIT TO SLIT YOUR THROAT,_ " Risky roared, picking up a jewelled sceptre and throwing it at the tub, causing jewels to fly everywhere and the sceptre to bend. The runt had even beaten her while transformed as a _mouse._

"WHY DO YOU EXIST?! WHY DO YOU RUIN EVERYTHING I PLAN!? WHY. DO. YOU. NOT. LEARN!?" The pirate collapsed next to her desk, tears running down her face from anger, and one could even say sadness. She was sweating heavily, her cave workshop now in ruins. She curled up in the fetal position and bit her trembling lip, drawing a shuddering breath.

"Why are you so kind…" she murmured, burying her head in her knees. She wasn't going to cry. Not today. Think of something nice. Nice like Shantae.

 _'SOMETHING ELSE NICE, NOT HER.'_

"Hold it right there, Risky Boots!"

She could still hear that stupid catchphrase of hers, as if it was right in front of her, foiling her genie realm takeover. The purple-skinned woman bit her lip. ' _Not. Today.'_

"Risky?"

There it was again. That high, adorable voice, that reminded her of something so close to her-

"Risky."

Hold on a second.

Risky lifted her head a bit, surprised to see the half-genie heroine peering at her closely. Out of shock, the pirate punched Shantae square in the face before she got to utter another word out of her mouth.

Shantae shrieked and fell backwards, feeling blood rush out her nose at an alarming rate. Ignoring the pain, she shot back up and twirled backwards, readying into a fighting stance. Risky was ready too, her hat now on her head and her pistol in her hand. Shantae did a quick scan of the area, and noticed Risky's sword was leaning against a stool.

"What are you doing here, girl?" the older woman asked in a low tone. "Shouldn't little brats like you be sleeping in for another hour?"

Shantae narrowed her eyes. Risky had to admit, she did look quite menacing with a blood trickling from her nose and a _very_ pissed off face to match her mood.

"I came here to stop whatever plans you're making this time, Risky," the genie replied.

"Oh ho ho, don't lie to me little girl. You came here because you wanted another _kiss_ , didn't you? I should just shoot you dead right now. Get you out of my way permanently." Risky smirked, but made no movement to aim at the younger girl.

Shantae had to admit, another kiss would've been nice. Rottytop's pep-talk this morning had bolstered her spirits. But now…

"I'm not little! As I said, I came here to stop your plans. Instead, I found you screaming insults about me and wanting to slit my throat." Shantae lowered her stance, just a bit. "Is it true?" she asked in a wavering voice. "Do you hate me that much?"

"Much more than that, darling. Perhaps death is too good for someone like you. Maybe I should force you to be my slave. Or extract and invert your magic again, and make sure you're tied to a pole so that you can't escape what you deserve," Risky sneered, enjoying the sadness creeping up on Shantae's face.

"I-I'd rather you didn't, Risky. I, uh… a-are you okay? You looked kind of down just then… You know, before you punched me in the face," Shantae spat, quickly hiding the sadness welling inside of her.

"Well, what would _you_ do if you had someone that had a reputation of ruining your plans just appear in front of you like that?" Risky countered. She had her there. "And the Queen of the Seven Seas doesn't need to explain to someone inferior, like you, what is going on in her personal life. Instead, you should _GO AWAY!_ " she finished, throwing the empty ink bottle she had snuck into her hand at the genie. It shattered against Shantae's forehead, and the dancer fell to the floor.

"Get up and fight me, runt."

Nothing. Risky tried a little louder.

"Get up and fight me! That's an order!"

Still nothing. Risky groaned, and cautiously walked over to the body heaped on the floor, her pistol ready in case it was a trick. No movement.

The pirate squatted, and slowly rolled Shantae over. Not only was there a new gash on her head, but she was unconscious.

Well. That was certainly easier than expected.

"This is… good. Very good!" Risky stood up and clapped her hands happily, before walking to the desk and grabbing the sword that she had left there. She licked some blood off her knuckles, before turning back around and looking at the knocked out heroine. Risky dragged the sword along the floor, the scraping sound resonating off the cavern walls. As she reached Shantae, she raised the sword above her head, ready to deliver the killing blow.

But Risky hesitated. Was this right? After everything Shantae had done for her? The malicious grin she had on her face faltered a little.

"No. This ends now. I will take what I deserve. Goodbye, brat."

She swung.

* * *

 **Ooooooh, cliffhanger.**

 **It's funny how I put just as much work into this as I do with my English essays. And I said I'd barely upload this year. Whoops.**

 **The next chapter has already been started, so it shouldn't be too long until that's uploaded.**

 **Please Rate and Review! All feedback is appreciated! *returns to farming Loki Prime***

 **Until next time,**

 **-Tommycats**


	7. Forgive Her

Rottytops heaved herself up the rock, pausing to catch a breath. She took a peek under her, to see how far up she had come.

About two metres.

Well. This was going to take a while.

A hiss sounded out from next to her, and Rotty quickly spun around and smacked the creature with her fist. The tar creature reeled back in surprise, before sticking its tongue out and collapsing into a puddle. It seemed to acknowledge Rotty as either one of the resident zombies, a friend, or had remembered the intimidation of her brother when they had first moved there.

Rotty shook her head and slowly started making her way past the three metre mark. She had seen the bird, which she had deciphered from the book to be called a Jewelled Meera, landing at the top of this peak. Its sketch depicted multi-coloured beauty, which contrasted the dark dreariness of Mudbog Island, but it was extremely territorial, easily picking off anything that it deemed a threat. The speed and agility it had, as well as its surprising strength, made it an excellent hunter, and its weekly run to snare a beast was often unrivalled by other predators.

Rottytops had studied the book hard, learning the bird's routines, strengths and weaknesses. The Meera was around her size, and the talons were as sharp as Risky's blade, if not sharper. The egg, which Rotty was aiming to get, would be one of two. The bird would not be happy to return to an egg missing. It would probably scout around the area, as it had just done an hour ago, and hunt down Rotty to reclaim its egg, tearing her to bits in the process.

Rotty couldn't lie. She was scared. Terrified. There was a good chance she could actually die here. The bird was powerful, and she might not be able to get away in time. Throwing her head to teleport would be useless if the bird caught it mid-air and ripped it apart. Even it did succeed, the egg wouldn't come with her body anyway.

Speaking of throwing her head, it would probably help her get past the four metre mark.

Detaching her head, Rotty aimed carefully for a flat ledge that would make the rest of the climb easy. She unconsciously stuck her tongue out, preparing to throw, when a screech startled her, causing her body to fall backwards and drop her head. A few moments passed before Rotty's body returned to her, and she wasted no time aiming up again and this time, with no inconvenient and frightening screech, threw her head up onto the ledge.

As the body reconnected with its owner, Rotty swayed precariously, nearly toppling off the ledge. She had a strong arm, and that throw had boosted her up at least twelve metres. She looked out over the treetops, shielding her eyes from the sun, trying to find her old house. Rotty spotted the old castle where Shantae had battled the giant Spider Queen, and just in front of it, the Nightmare Woods.

The zombie sighed. She had never truly said sorry to Shantae for faking hurt and making her carry Rotty through the woods. She hadn't missed the visible shudder that went through the half-genie when Mudbog Island was brought up the day before, clearly scarred by the event. ' _I need to apologise properly.'_

Shaking those thoughts away, the girl looked up, trying to see how far was left to go. By the looks of it, there was only a couple of metres left, but she knew that the bird was still there. She'd have to wait until it flew off. Sitting down and leaning against the rock face, Rottytops wondered what Shantae was up to that moment. The guardian had borrowed a boat and sailed all the way to Mudbog with Rotty, leaving it on the pier so she could return. Shantae had left in harpy form, flying to wherever the location on the map was. Had she found the island? Did she make up with Risky? ' _S'pose I won't know until the end of the day,_ ' she thought.

The same screech rang out once again, but this time the zombie knew where it was from, though it wasn't any less frightening. The sound came from above her – the nest. A dark shadow passed over Rottytops, and for a moment, she had thought she'd been found. The sound of flapping wings passed by, and Rotty saw a red shape fly towards the western side of the island.

"Show time."

Breathing heavily, the zombie backed up against a trunk, flattening herself against the rough surface. She clutched the egg to her chest tightly, careful not to crush its fragile shell.

It had gone wrong, oh so terribly wrong. The book never mentioned that one parent always stayed with the eggs while the other went to hunt. She had grabbed the egg, threw it out, used her head teleport ability, caught it, and bolted, all while being chased by a very angry bird.

She had ran through branches, hopped over rocks, and stumbled a few times. Rotty was looking worse for wear, and she was sore all over. Too bad she wasn't in the Nightmare Realm. At least she was able to summon brains for healing there.

She was close to the pier, close enough to see the boat gently rising and dipping with the waves. Its peaceful situation was the complete opposite of Rotty's own. Hearing another shriek from the adult Meera, she gulped.

She wasn't sure if she would make it out alive.

Maybe she could leave the egg and just run while the bird picked it back up. Or make a decoy. Maybe dress up as a tree. Why was she even doing this again?

' _For Sky._ '

Filled with a little bit more determination, she braced herself, waiting for the perfect moment…

Then ran.

Sky opened the door, wondering who would be rapping at her door so persistently.

"Can I help—"she began, slamming the door shut instantly at the sight of green. _'Just walk away, Sky. Don't engage her,'_ she thought to herself, backing away from the door. Sky had expected her to come crawling back, with some pathetic apology or excuse, just like she had done so in the past. She turned around and headed back to her kitchen. This time, she wasn't going to give her another chance. She had used them all up and taken advantage of their friendship. It was for the best.

"Sky… _please_."

Sky stopped in her tracks as her heart lurched. Rotty sounded so vulnerable. So helpless. Sky had never heard her like this before. She spun on one foot, facing the door again. _'I shouldn't…'_ She silently creeped up to the door, not wanting Rotty to know she was directly behind it.

"Sky? You there? Please?" the voice wavered.

Sky sighed in slight frustration. _'This._ This _is the last time. I mean it.'_ She grabbed the handle and ripped the door open with more force than she intended to. The sight waiting for her on the other side shocked her; Rottytops had scratches all over her, some still bleeding, particularly a cut to her ankle. Her hair was messier than usual, even having a branch sticking out of it, and her tank top had small rips in it. What had the zombie been doing? What's she holding behind her back?

"Look, I know you hate me, and I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you, just take this and I'll leave you alone forever, okay?" Rotty pulled out an egg from behind her back and offered it to Sky, who glanced at it for a few seconds. White with coloured speckles. She returned her gaze to the undead girl, who was beginning to tear up.

Zombies could cry? Whatever, worry about that later. She pointed behind her.

"Inside. Now," she demanded, and Rotty complied. As the zombie walked in, Sky closed the door behind her.

"Put it over there, in that nest," she pointed again, at a medium sized nest, "brush away any mess that's already in there and make sure it's upright." The zombie followed her orders wordlessly, slightly limping. _'Where are her usual quips and bad puns?'_

"There. I'll go now," Rotty spoke, never looking at Sky. "Thanks for being my friend," she finished, walking towards the door with the slight limp she had. Sky stepped in front of her, placing her hand on the door to keep it shut.

"No. Go sit down."

"But—"

" _Sit down,_ Rotty." The zombie stared at her feet, before turning around and sitting in one of Sky's chairs. A small squeak escaped her as Sky turned it around and placed another chair in front of her, before walking off into the hatchery's other rooms. Rotty dreaded the telling-off she knew she was going to receive from Sky. No escaping it now.

Sky was in her bathroom, looking for a first aid kit. She usually kept one near the birds, but Shantae had taken it as a back-up when she travelled to Risky's volcanic lair. She found the red box, pulled it out, and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She paused to look at herself. She looked clean. Her hair was safely in her hood. She looked as pretty as she usually did. She had to look her best for Rotty after all. Uh, for everyone who came to her hatchery, she meant. Not just Rotty.

 _'Where did that come from?'_ she thought, blushing red. She shook her head looked in the mirror again. _'Of course you're forgiving her. You always do. You can never resist her charm or charisma.'_ Except Rotty wasn't very charismatic or charming at the moment. _'Be nice to her, Sky. She obviously went to a lot of trouble for you. Drop the grudge.'_ Sky exhaled. Yes, she had lost some fine birds. Yes, she had been angry. But she had a right to – Rotty never asked permission and Sky had been raising those birds for years. But Rotty was also genuinely sorry this time, and seeing her in such a depressive mood was bumming Sky out. Maybe they could patch this relationship… _'She's cute. I'll give her that.'_ Sky left the bathroom, a slight pink hue on her cheeks.

She found Rotty in the same position she had left her in – head hanging, shoulders dropped, arms limp. She walked over and knelt in front of Rotty, opening the box and grabbing a bandage and some disinfectant. She placed a few drops on the cut on the zombie's ankle, who flinched from the stinging, and started to unroll the bandage from its packaging.

"I don't know what the hell you've done this time Rotty, but there better be a good explanation," she said while wrapping the bandage around the leg. She was aware of the eyes boring into her from surprise – it wasn't like Sky to use words like that. Unless she was angry. Then she unleashed a torrent of her worst. And Rotty was usually on the receiving end of that.

"You know you don't have to do this, Sky. I could replace it, whether it's due or not," Rottytops croaked, her voice breaking at one point. The comment reminded Sky of their argument inside the Nightmare Realm. Rotty had just changed her legs and was angry that Sky had made her walk to the castle, requiring new ones again. Had they even been changed since then?

"I know. But I want to. I don't like you being hurt." Sky tied the bandage off and sat on the chair she had placed across from Rotty earlier. "That should be fine for a while. Now, your arms."

"Sky…"

"Your arms, Rotty, unless you would prefer for me to kick you out again?" That got Rotty moving, who presented her arms to Sky. Sky stuck on band-aids on any cuts that were still bleeding. As she moved her hands over Rotty's arms, she felt the odd, undead warmth they emitted. It had been a while since she had touched Rotty, and she wasn't used to it anymore. She had liked the feeling. She had… missed it. Realising she was pretty much just roaming her hands all over Rotty's arms, she quickly dropped them, bending over to grab something from the box, and also cover a blush.

"Awww, I was enjoying that," Rotty whined, but Sky didn't mind. She had secretly been enjoying it too. _'Are you serious, Sky? It's almost as if you crave her now.'_ Sky paused. That had hit a bit close to home. Maybe she was… Not that she'd ever admit or act on it. She looked up to study Rotty's exposed midriff, in case it also needed treatment. There were small grazes, but they didn't need any treatment. Sky decided that was enough treatment, and tidied up the box. She sat up and look Rotty in the eyes with a serious face, making the zombie feel very nervous.

"Rotty," Sky started in a soft tone, softening her face as well, "what were you doing to get so injured?" Rotty opened her mouth to speak. " _Without_ saying 'I got an egg.'" The zombie closed her mouth for a second.

"I travelled to Mudbog Island to get the egg for you. I may or may not have miscalculated a few things and it went downhill from there," the zombie began, eventually telling Sky the whole journey. Their conversation ran well into the afternoon, and Sky had to stop Rotty at one point to go get some drinks.

"So you stole a Meera egg because you wanted to apologise? A 'sorry Sky' and some chocolates would've been fine."

"I did that last time," Rotty reminded her, "and I did it because I lo… I wanted to say sorry for everything I've ever done. For the birds, for hitting you, and for… I don't know, being a nuisance in general. I'm sorry," she finished, her eyes downcast.

Sky stared at the green girl across from her. She had stolen a predatory bird's eggs – a _rare_ , exotic bird – and got injured in the process because she wanted to say sorry? _'She's a keeper.'_ Sky frowned. _'Will you stupid thoughts go away!?'_ She reached over and pulled her undead friend to her, securing her in a hug. The zombie returned the gesture, beginning to cry.

"It's alright Rotty, I forgive you. You don't need to cry," Sky comforted, rubbing Rotty's back.

"It's not that… I mess up so much and you always forgive me. It's the same with Shantae. I don't deserve any of this…" the rest of that sentence became an inaudible mess, Sky straining to decipher what Rotty was saying.

"You're getting better, though. But I'll only let you be around me if you promise me something," Sky said. This was the last time that she would forgive Rotty. _'Yeah, right._ ' The undead girl sat up, sniffling, and gave her attention to Sky. "I don't want you to run out like that and get all beaten up just for me, okay? An egg isn't worth you being wounded."

"I can just swap out the parts."

"That's not the point, Rotty." The zombie sighed.

"Fiiiine. I promise not to get you any more eggs."

"What?"

"Or birds."

"Are you serious? This isn't what I was say—"

"Or your favourite chocolate."

"Now that's just completely uncalled for." The duo looked at each other and burst into laughter. It was no secret how much Sky loved her chocolate. Particularly chocolate eggs.

"Seriously, though. I'm not promising to not get hurt for you. I'd do it again, if it kept you happy, or safe. Same with Snack Cakes," Rotty said, serious for a moment.

"You being hurt wouldn't make me happy. And you know how much she hates that name," Sky responded.

"I know, Bird Girl."

"Are you for real?"

"Don't get your bird brain all scrambled up over that, in case a silly idea comes hatching out of it," Rotty grinned.

Sky facepalmed. Then smirked.

"Your jokes really raise the dead, Rotty." Sky glanced up to see the zombie's reaction.

What greeted her was the most unamused face the undead girl had ever pulled. Sky laughed.

Worth it.

* * *

 **Yay, formatting issues needing a reupload. Fun.**

 **Term's over, so I'm free to play Risky's Revenge and get any more necessary information I could need for the story. The next chapter should be up within 2 weeks - it's halfway done already.**

 **Feedback appreciated! Point out any typos you might find. Proofreading this while tired isn't that effective, believe it or not.**

 **Till next time!**

 **-Tommycats.**

 **P.S. There is not enough Rotty x Sky. Or Rotty x Anyone. Hmmm...**

 **Edit: Also patched up some of the earlier chapters. Nothing major, just a few typos and grammar issues.**


	8. Panic and Denial

Shantae groaned and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and she had a killer headache. Where was she? What was going on? She tried to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, but found that both hands were tied to a wooden board, preventing movement. She cried out in alarm, tugging at the rope, trying to escape. Even her legs were bound together. Had this been a different situation, Shantae might've enjoyed being tied up. But this wasn't that situation.

"Well, well, look who just woke up. Good evening, lazy."

That voice. Her vision still blurry, but slowly getting clearer, Shantae watched as a purple blob made its way towards her. Panicking, Shantae pulled on the ropes even harder. She didn't want to die. Not like this.

"Stop. Calm down," the voice commanded. ' _No.'_ Her mouth was dry.

"Shantae." _'Go away, go away, go away!'_ She tugged more. Harder.

"Shantae!" The genie froze in fear, and watched as Risky came into focus. She didn't say a word, but was visibly trembling out of fear. The pirate had her hair flowing out of her bandana; she looked amazing. Not that it comforted Shantae in the slightest.

Risky climbed up onto the platform the genie was on, and Shantae realised it was a purple bed. No time to appreciate it now. As the pirate drew closer, Shantae shrank back, terrified what Risky would do while she was so helpless. She had too much of a headache to channel her magic. Tears formed in her eyes, causing her vision to get blurry again.

Risky crawled next to Shantae, who refused to look at her. The pirate sighed, cupping Shantae's face gently. She slowly turned her head to make the younger girl face towards her. There was little resistance, but Shantae refused to make any eye contact at all. Risky reached for something that Shantae didn't want to see. Probably a dagger. Or her pistol. Or both.

She was surprised when she felt a damp cloth wiping under her nose with the utmost care, cleaning away crusted blood. She finally looked at Risky, who smiled gently at her, continuing to wipe away the blood. She felt like a baby. Shantae got so lost in Risky's scarlet eyes that she didn't notice when Risky put the cloth away to retrieve another.

"Stay still. This might hurt." What?

Shantae's eyes darted to see what Risky was applying to her forehead, but was too slow to catch it, before wincing in pain as a sharp stinging sensation began from whatever was on her head.

"Sorry, sorry. Just a little more." _What._ Did Risky just say she was _sorry?_ When did that ever happen?

Before she knew it, Shantae found the second damp cloth (with its mysterious stinging ingredient) was replaced with a bandage being carefully wrapped around her head. Risky was even considerate enough to keep it under her pony tail. As the pirate leaned forward to get around the back of Shantae's head, the genie took the time to admire Risky's generous chest. _'They're way bigger than mine. Risky's lucky. Maybe she'll let me… no. That'll never happen. Not now.'_

"Are you staring at my breasts?" Dammit. She had been caught. Too lost in the moment, again.

Shantae averted her eyes, blushing red. Maybe Risky would kill her quickly. She reddened even further as she felt the back of Risky's fingers caress against her cheek.

"I'm flattered. Really. Not that you make it hard for me to notice anyway; you did it a lot while we were against the Pirate Master." Of course she had noticed that too. _'Risky is way more alert than I thought… I need to remember that.'_

"Anyway, besides me, is there anything that you want?" _'What did you just say!? Besides_ you!? _When did she become so flirty?_ ' Still blushing furiously, she made eye contact with Risky, noticing once again how nice she looked with her hair out.

"W-water," Shantae croaked, her voice barely reaching a whisper. "Please." Risky nodded, walking off to get a glass of water for the bound genie. Shantae watched her, looking out for any poison that Risky might put in. However, still feeling quite tired, she closed her eyes. She tried to remember what had happened before she blacked out. Risky crying on the floor, her nose getting punched hard, an argument, and something being thrown at her. Any details that Shantae tried to remember got muddled up as she fell into sleep again.

Or nearly did anyway.

"Hey. Wake up, runt. You want the water or not?" That sounded a bit more Risky-like. Shantae stirred, opening her eyes again to the sight of crystal clear, cool water in Risky's hand. She nodded, her lips slightly parting, as if the glass was already at her lips.

"That's great. But do you really think I'm doing this out of kindness?" Of course there was a price. Risky had lost all her friendly tone as well. This couldn't end well.

"If you want the water, and by the looks of it, you really do, you have to promise me that you'll never stop my plans again, that you'll forfeit your magic to me, and that you don't mind your friends 'disappearing.' Deal?" Shantae gaped. Seriously? She shook her head vigorously, her mouth too dry to reply. Risky giggled at the panicking girl.

"I'm just joking darling, stay still," Risky smirked, dropping the aggressive tone and bringing the glass to Shantae's lips. After drinking about half of it, she took it away to let the genie breathe.

"You're mean," Shantae glared. "I'd rather die than let you do anything to my friends."

"But if you were dead, you wouldn't be able to stop me doing things to them anyway. Besides, keeping you alive is more fun," Risky replied. She put the glass down, brushed some of her long hair away from her face, and crawled back onto the bed next to Shantae. The tied-up heroine wouldn't look at her again.

"Why haven't you killed me?" Shantae asked in a whisper. She shuddered, really not wanting to make Risky change her decision. She didn't feel safe at all.

"I have morals, believe it or not. It's as simple as that," Risky answered nonchalantly.

"Go on…" Shantae insisted, turning her head slightly. Risky leaned back against the bedhead, playing with one of Shantae's bindings.

"I follow a particular set of rules that I've made for myself. I don't want to go to the extremes that the Pirate Master did," Risky said, scowling at his name. "Don't threaten children. Only steal from merchants and the rich. Be kind to the prisoners. That final one applies to you."

"But you're always screaming at your men. Plus you've always wanted me dead."

"As intelligent as they are, they're still idiots half the time. They deserve it, and it keeps them in check. As for you?" Risky paused. She hadn't explicitly said she had to be honest. But then again, this was Shantae, her definitely-not-romantic interest. "I had a change of heart." It was only half of the truth, but at least she wasn't outright lying.

"I see," Shantae murmured, digesting what had been said. She would like to say Risky wasn't as bad as she thought, on top of what had passed between them on the Tinkertub 2.0, but since the previous attempt to take over the Genie Realm… she really didn't know. Her thoughts were distracted by the feeling of her bindings beginning to rub her skin raw.

"Risky?"

"Mm."

"Can you untie me please? They're starting to hurt." Risky stopped reading the book she had grabbed and looked at Shantae, who was beginning to tug again.

"Promise not to attack me?"

"Promise." Risky reached over and grabbed her dagger, but a bit of her wanted to make sure that Shantae got the message. The pirate put the tip of the dagger against the underside of Shantae's chin, who immediately stopped moving, her eyes widening in fear.

"I mean it, brat. Any nonsense, and I _will_ kill you. Understood?" Risky asked menacingly, applying a bit of pressure to the dagger, just to get her point across. A small 'eep' and nod from Shantae satisfied her, and she cut all the bindings that held Shantae in place.

The genie sat up on the bed, her heart beating. She didn't know what to feel. Relieved from Risky's kindness? Or terrified from her threats? Either way, she was thankful for the freedom from the bindings. She had a proper look around Risky's hideout. The mess from before had been cleared and most of the displays had been fixed. Risky had her hat and sword on a rack, in front of the empty dock. If she looked past that, to the entrance of the cave, she could see twinkling stars dotting the night sky.

Shantae sighed. She seemed to be sighing a lot lately. It was clear that she had been knocked out since she arrived in the afternoon. She reached up to her head, tracing the bandage that was wrapped around the apparent wound. The genie pressed gently, going around the bandage, locating where it hurt the most. It was right in the middle of her forehead, by the feel of it.

"Stop that. You'll just make it take longer to heal." Shantae glanced over to where Risky was sitting, reading her book. The pirate seemed very absorbed into reading it – how had she even noticed Shantae touching her head? Not wanting to make it worse, Shantae gave up on messing around with her head and proceeded to lean against Risky's shoulder. The older woman gave no evidence of noticing, or caring, besides a hint of red appearing across her cheeks.

Being another cold night, she shivered, pressing further against Risky. Their bare arms rubbed together, creating butterflies in Shantae's stomach and doubt in Risky's. The contact between them felt intimate and foreign to Risky – enemies shouldn't be in this type of contact with each other. It was wrong! ' _But it feels so right…'_ Risky began to feel Shantae's hand snake it's way around her waist, as if they were the best of friends.

Risky couldn't handle it anymore, shoving Shantae off as she tried to lean her head on the pirate's shoulder. A small squeak of surprise came from the genie as she flopped onto the bed, bouncing slightly against the soft mattress. She turned to see Risky with her head buried in her hands, her legs drawn up to her chest, and the book abandoned next to her feet.

"Are you alright, Risky?" Shantae asked, crawling towards the purple-skinned woman. "I'm sorry..." There was no answer, nor any movement. "Risky?"

"Just go to sleep, Shantae!" Risky yelled from behind her hands, causing the younger girl to jump – yet there was a saddened tone underlying it, as if Shantae had reminded her of something she would rather forget.

"But-"

" _Please!"_ Shantae froze. There was definitely an emotional factor behind that one. It nearly sounded like a sob, and that was very worrying considering the person it was coming from. The genie gazed at the pirate for a few seconds, contemplating whether to press on or not. Knowing how easily Risky could get stirred into a rage, she decided against it, feeling guilty for ruining the moment between them. She silently unclasped her wristbands and her ponytail, placing them on the bedside table on her side of the bed. She also took her tiara off for more comfort, but she was going to have to sleep without her pyjamas tonight. She quietly grunted in frustration at this – it was never comfortable sleeping in her outfit, unless she was on her back only. Except that she hated sleeping like that.

She turned to look at Risky, who hadn't budged, before slipping under the covers and closing her eyes, worried about the pirate's welfare. However, still being slightly tired from before, it wasn't long before Shantae fell blissfully into light sleep.

At the sound of gentle snoring, Risky peeked through her fingers to make sure the genie was asleep, before dropping her hands to her sides. Her eyes were red and watery, and she stared blankly into her lap with downcast eyes. She hadn't meant to throw Shantae off, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. She couldn't have asked her to stop either. Shantae would've understood, but at the expense of some of Risky's dignity. It was just all too sudden, too fast. It wasn't even her fault, for once.

Risky breathed deeply, trying not to break down again. Shantae reminded her too much of someone she knew a long time ago. Someone she loved, and someone she trusted. However, things turned south, causing a great deal of problems for Risky. Eventually, they became the reason Risky had outcast herself and took the Pirate Master's offer of being a pirate. She barred all positive emotions for a while after that, making sure that she would never have to suffer the consequences of love ever again.

Risky glanced over to the sleeping girl on her right, unable to stop staring at her. _'She's so beautiful with her hair out.'_ She felt disgusted the second she thought of this, tearing her vision away from Shantae. She could not stand being sappy. Just like she couldn't stand Shantae. Or her undeserved hair-whips. Or her stupid red outfit, her goody two shoes-ness, and the way she shook her hips when she danced. She especially couldn't stand her constant happiness and her bright personality.

Yet she had fallen for her.

 _'Admit it Risky, you absolutely love how much of herself she exposes. You love her dances too – you stare so often!'_

 _'You're completely wrong! She's annoying and naïve!'_

 _'But you love her naivety; it's part of her amazing personality you love!'_

 _'You're a fool!'_

 _'She always brightens your day when she appears, even if it's just because you want to beat her again. Plus, her goodness is the reason you're not possessed by the Pirate Master yet!'_

 _'She's a pathetic, short brat who's had her uses and is now just a pain in the backside!'_

Risky had so many emotions running through her mind that any sad memories had been replaced by reasons she hated the stupid twerp sleeping in _her_ bed. Her teeth gritted, she was ready to thrash anything that gave her enough of a reason, before hearing a content sigh to her right. More emotions were added to the mix of denial, anger, and hate before it came to a peak, burning the pirate out. She smacked her head on the bedhead and let out a controlled, quiet groan, still considerate enough not to wake Shantae. Risky was in a losing battle here. She very much wanted to stab the genie in her sleep, but also wanted…

Risky took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had wanted to get intimate with someone, and not in a one night stand kind of way. She began to wriggle her way under the bedsheets, unwrapping the bandana around her head while still thinking about the girl next to her.

It was clear that Shantae had picked up on her flirting before, proved by the extreme blush across Shantae's face when it happened. Shantae obviously wasn't subtle about her own intentions, but her innocence and naivety was a part of her that Risky liked. The thing that stood out most to Risky was how Shantae would go to any extent to protect and save her friends, and that extended to Risky, and even the barons. It was truly an admirable trait, and the pirate was genuinely thankful for Shantae's actions. She had been terrified of the idea of being taken over by the Pirate Master. Not that she would ever admit that, of course.

Fully under the covers, Risky thought about reaching out and hugging Shantae in her sleep, maybe even spooning her. Instead, she turned her back on the genie.

The idea of a relationship with Shantae, though? That was more preferable. Risky would have to make sacrifices, but… Shantae was worth it. She had proven it. As Risky began to slip into the dream world, she thought that perhaps… Shantae could teach her to love again.

 _'Told you, you're in love with her.'_

 _'Shut up.'_

* * *

 **I know I said 2 weeks, but personal issues got in the way, plus the original chapter I had written up didn't sit well with me. I don't like publishing something I'm not happy with, so I took the time to re-write the chapter from scratch. Sorry for the delay!**

 **Since I'm back at school, I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, since nearly all my time is taken up by folios (and speed-running the new costume pack DLC). I'll aim for at least one in the next month, but no promises.**

 **If you haven't noticed, I've changed the description of the story because, let's be honest here, this is as much about Sky and Rottytops as it is about Shantae and Risky.**

 **As usual, any feedback and criticism is appreciated, and please notify me of typos in PMs.**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**

 **P.S.**

 **It took me forty minutes to think of a chapter title.**

 **Forty.**

 **Minutes.**

 **And it's not even that good.**


	9. Gaining Ground

Shantae groaned as she woke up, her back stiff and sore. She would rather sleep naked than in her day outfit with the golden attachments preventing her from moving around. She couldn't have done that if she wanted though; Risky was beside her.

Risky was beside her?

Recovering from her mini heart-attack, Shantae replayed the events before she fell asleep. She knew Risky wasn't a threat… at the moment. She stared at the sleeping pirate, who was propped up against the bedhead in a seated position. Was that really how she slept? Surely not. Maybe that was why she was in a terrible mood every day; a bad back from sleep-sitting.

Habitually, Shantae began to close her own eyes. _'Just five minutes more…'_

"You're awake."

Shantae nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice of the pirate. Recovering from her second mini heart-attack (twice in a minute, new record!), she glanced again at the woman next to her. Risky's eyes will still closed, but she now sported a smirk on her face.

"Wha… how?" Shantae tiredly murmured. Mornings weren't really that nice to her, hence why she slept in till noon half the time.

"Your breathing is different when you're awake compared to when you're asleep. That, and the snoring fit for a bear stopped," Risky teased, opening one eye to see the genie's reaction.

Shantae sat up and glared at Risky, her long hair flowing behind her.

"I do not snore like a bear," she retorted.

"You're right, more like a lion."

"Hey!"

Risky giggled at the pouting girl across from her, reaching for another pillow to put behind her.

"I'm just joking, darling," she said, flashing a grin. "You're quite adorable when you're asleep."

Shantae's change from annoyed to embarrassed was quick, her stuttering and sudden shyness causing the pirate to laugh even more. Shantae's face was as red as the rising sun, and Risky found the whole ordeal cute, much to her inner denial.

"Th-that totally isn't creepy, R-Risky," Shantae mumbled, still fighting the urge to cover herself with the blanket out of pure embarrassment. She had to stay strong in front of Risky; any weakness could and would be noted by the pirate. Trying to find something else to keep her occupied before she said something that would give the pirate an opening for anything, Shantae quickly grabbed her armbands and her hair clasp, readying herself for the interesting day ahead.

"Aw. I quite like it when you have your hair out," Risky commented, watching Shantae fix up her trademark, yet deadly hairstyle."

"I could say the same thing about you, Risky. Oh, you wouldn't happen to have a brush I could borrow by any chance, would you?"

"Maybe I should keep it out a bit more just for you, then," Risky said as she stood up to find a brush in one of her drawers. Shantae didn't respond, finding it awkward that Risky was flirting with her so openly. It wasn't friendliness, it had to be flirting. Right? _'You're hoping for too much again.'_

Risky was also having trouble with her own actions. ' _Why the hell are you interested in her? She's your number one enemy!'_ Shaking her head, Risky finally found her brush and made her way back to Shantae, who she found sitting at the edge of the bed, seeming like she had lost her courage.

"Here," she said, handing the brush to the genie. Shantae limply grabbed onto it, holding it in her lap.

"Are you not going to use it? You look like a nightmare. Not saying you weren't one already, but you get the drift," Risky teased again, but got no response from the younger girl. "Shantae?"

"I'm not comfortable with this, Risky," Shantae said. She began to brush her hair instinctively, distracting herself with the rhythmic movements. Risky eyed her suspiciously, anger rising within her. She was trying hard to be nice to her, and she wasn't comfortable with it!? Perhaps she was being a little bit too forward, but it was still _something_ , was it not?

"I mean, we're enemies, so we shouldn't be so… nice to each other. And your flirting is really –ack!" Shantae got cut off mid-sentence as Risky pounced on her, grabbing her neck and pinning the genie to the bed. "What the hell, Risky – Risky, let – ack – let me breathe! Let me go!" The younger girl thrashed around on the bed, hitting Risky to try and dislodge herself from the tightening grip.

"I'm trying my hardest to be _nice_ to you, but all of a sudden you're 'uncomfortable!?'" Risky screamed back, her anger fully taking control of her reasoning. "Do you not remember that _you_ came here first? It's fine for you to blatantly flirt with me but when I reciprocate, you back out? If all my actions were going to be a waste of time, I should've killed you the moment you got here!"

Shantae, remembering Risky's tantrum earlier, scratched the pirate's scabbed knuckles, causing her to cry out in pain and loosen her grip. Also managing to stun Risky for a moment with this, Shantae used the opportunity to kick the pirate in the stomach and roll her off of her, and then off the bed. She gasped for air, crawling to the side of the bed opposite where Risky fell off.

"I… I don't know…" the genie panted, taking deep breaths. Risky's glaring face popped up at the opposite side, though sporting a slightly confused look.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Risky asked, propping her head up with her hands. Her knuckles were stinging, her stomach hurt, and she was trying not to snap again, in case she really hurt Shantae this time. _'Why do you care if you hurt her?! She's your_ enemy _you fool!_ She swallowed, ignoring the voice in her head as best as she could.

"We're enemies… we shouldn't like each other this way…"

"Speak for yourself, runt."

"Don't pretend you weren't flirting with me before. I'm not as naïve as you think," Shantae quipped back.

"I beg to differ," Risky replied with a smirk, receiving a glare from the girl across the bed.

"As I was saying; we're enemies, we shouldn't like each other this way, and I'm chasing after a dream that will never happen," Shantae concluded, gazing down with a sigh. Risky watched her for a moment, knowing that the whole truth wasn't there.

"Except?" the pirate urged on. Shantae looked up, confused.

"'Except' what?"

"You wouldn't have tracked me down if you didn't actually like me. You're not telling me the whole truth, and trust me darling, I know when people are lying or not," Risky said. "So, if you're adamant that this is wrong and that it will never worked out, why did you come?" the pirate asked. "Why do you persist to blatantly flirt with someone who has tried to kill you multiple times?"

The genie stared at Risky for what felt like minutes, before turning away, fixing her gaze on a particularly large ruby.

"Because that's not who you are. I've seen the real Risky, back on the Tinkertub, when we were against your master. The Risky that I want to see again. The Risky that I… um…" Shantae could not bring herself to say the 'L' word in this moment. It was too much for her at once, and she was angrily fighting herself within her mind. How did she think this would even turn out well at all? She would've died if Risky hadn't had a merciful moment. Shantae's train of thought was interrupted by the howling laughter of the pirate, who had collapsed onto the floor in a fit.

"Do you actually think that for one _second_ , I would actually like you back? You're nothing but an annoying pest! You had found the real me? This _is_ the real me!" Risky laughed more, her words not quite stinging the genie as much as she would've liked.

"But – you – wait, what? You were literally flirting with me for the past day. I'm not stupid."

"Yes you are! What makes you think I was serious? Ever cross your mind that I've been faking it?"

"I can tell when you fake something," Shantae mumbled, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. She held her hair in a deathly grip, suddenly taking an interest in what Rottytops could possibly be doing at this moment.

"Judging by your track record when facing me, I doubt that," the pirate retorted, reducing herself to giggles. "Tell you what, brat. You've entertained me enough that I'll let you go free. Well, as soon as you give the brush back," Risky grinned, extending her hand for the brush that was still half-stuck in Shantae's hair.

The genie pulled the brush out, avoiding any eye contact with Risky. Quickly taking care of any out-of-place areas, she walked around the bed, cautiously placing the brush in Risky's hand. Risky pulled her hand away, expecting the heroine across from her to bolt. She was surprised when she just stood there, staring just past Risky's head.

"Well? Are you going? Or do you actually want me to kill you. That can be arranged easily, I'll just need you to sign on the dotted line," the taller woman joked, placing her hands on her hips. Her smirk died off when Shantae suddenly lunged forward and held her in a crushing hug, causing her to stumble back a little bit. "Wha- get off!"

Shantae let go of Risky, letting the pirate breathe, now keeping direct eye contact as she slowly backed away to the port. Risky stuck to her word and made no movement to attack, though she seemed visibly conflicted about something. Shantae smiled inwardly. _'"Don't like you," yeah right.'_ She made a small wave, before performing a mermaid dance and back-flipping into the water, as silently as she had entered the day before.

Risky stood there, eyeing the ripples left behind. She was indeed conflicted. That hug, though crushing, _was_ kind of… nice. Now it was Risky's turn to sigh. Maybe she did like the genie. _'What do you mean? Of course you don't. She's right. You're enemies, and this shouldn't happen. Remember how many times she has denied you what is rightfully yours?'_ She shook her head, storming over to her desk in a new-found bad mood. She immediately began writing new plans, plotting revenge on Shantae. This is what she deserves, for wasting her time and energy, and of course stopping her every time. Risky was going all out to teach the brat a lesson – there would be no mercy this time.

But, as Risky continued to plan, her thoughts returned to the moment Shantae threw her arms around the pirate. Being held in someone else's embrace was something Risky could easily get used to, if it were the right person.

And not so crushing.

Swimming away, Shantae smiled to herself. Yes, the progress she had made had been lost. Risky had closed herself off from the genie again, taunted her, and would probably try to attack the town again.

But, she had noticed the inner conflict written all over Risky's face. The pirate could say whatever she wanted – there was definitely an interest there, and for Shantae, that was enough to make the knockout, the pain, the embarrassing falter, and the rejection all worth it. Yes, she would probably dwell on how she could've handled the situation much better later (or whine endlessly to Rottytops about it), like continue flirting back, or not clamming up at the worst time possible, but the genie knew that Risky would come back for her one way or another.

After all, what's a pirate captain without a hat?

* * *

 **HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?**

 **HARD TO SAY!**

 **IT'S ME, TOMMYCATS**

 **AND I'M SORR(A)Y.**

 **Well, it was certainly a long time. Year 12 is a nightmare, but that isn't an excuse for my lack of activity. Please forgive me!**

 **But, school will be done forever in a month! The excitement!**

 **About this chapter, where do I begin. I rewrote it about six times, and I'm on the fence with the current result, but I didn't want to leave you lads (and lass') hanging for too long. It doesn't help that I had eight different directions I could've taken this chapter. You can probably tell where I changed a few sections multiple times.**

 **As for the next chapter - no idea, sorry. Definitely after my exams are over, but that's still two months away. (November 19th to be exact.) But, hey, that's not a definite. A new chapter may very well come out before then. I should also probably finish the DLC modes and begin the Jammies mode.**

 **As usual, criticism would be great and feel free to notify me of any errors or typos in the chapter.**

 **Anyway, I have a project due on Monday and it's 86.5% complete. Until next time!**

 **\- Tommycats**

 ***procrastinating intensifies***


	10. Spooky Switcheroo

"You're kidding, right?"

Shantae and Rottytops sat together at a table on the sunlit balcony of Shantae's favourite café. Being quite late in the afternoon, the area was empty, so nobody was really bothered by Rottytops' incessant questioning of Shantae's activities a day ago.

"Again, Rotty," Shantae sighed, "Yes. I. Took. Her. Hat." Rottytops paused for a moment, working it out in her somehow intact brain.

"So you took her pirate hat?"

Shantae groaned in exasperation and smacked her head on the table, sick of the same question worded differently about two-hundred (and thirty four, but who's counting?) times. She had to move the conversation away somehow.

"What about you and Sky? Did you make up?"

"Yeah, yeah, the whole make up and make out thing. We made up, but no make out. Are you sure you took her hat?" Rotty waved off nonchalantly.

"Rotty, I'm going to throw your head into the ocean if you ask me one more time. I mean it," Shantae growled, at the end of her patience. Two-hundred (and thirty five) times was too much. Rottytops looked at her with a worried expression, which quickly turned into a sly grin.

"You'd love to get your hands in my hair wouldn't you?" She teased, leaning over the table and getting right into the genie's face. "Handle me roughly?"

"Rotty, no n-no, ew, ew, ew, get away, s-stop it!" Shantae stammered, pushing the zombie back. Rotty smiled, standing up and walking around to Shantae's side, before holding the genie's head still. The green girl came close to Shantae's ear, who was ready to beat Rotty back if she even dared to take a bite.

"So, about the hat," Rotty whispered, "can I wear it?"

It was the last thing the undead girl said before she found herself travelling through the air and into the ocean.

* * *

"What happened to you?" Sky asked, clearly confused at the soaked zombie at her front door, standing next to the cross genie.

"Yes," Rotty answered, before shoving past Sky. "I'm getting a towel. Being wet sucks." She strode into Sky's bathroom before shutting the door with a click. Sky turned back to Shantae and gestured where Rotty was with another confused expression.

"She found out that I don't bluff," the genie said simply.

"Well, that's debatable," Sky replied, giggling at the frown the shorter girl gave her. "But, it _is_ Rotty, so I suppose she earned it in one way or another." She pulled Shantae into a hug, which Shantae was too happy to return to her best friend.

"Glad to see you two are back on talking terms. I hate seeing either of you upset." Shantae pulled away and accepted the invitation to come in. Sky's house was clean and organised, something she could learn from. As expected, some jazz was playing out of Sky's music box – one that Uncle Mimic had gifted her for one of her earlier birthdays.

"She, well… _convinced_ me to talk again," Sky said, receiving a raised eyebrow and a smirk in response. "No, Shantae, ew! Get your head out of the gutter. She brought me a Meera egg; do you know how hard they are to find, let alone take, without being shredded to bits?" The blonde brought her friend into the aviary, where the speckled egg sat, surrounded by fresh hay and preened feathers. She rotated it around and rearranged the hay, seemingly content with its new position.

"But you two are so _cute_ together," Shantae giggled, punching the taller girl lightly in the arm.

"No, Shantae. I don't… like her in that way," Sky huffed, shoving the genie back just as lightly, "She's a good friend, if extremely annoying and with a tendency to make horrible decisions at the worst times. Not to mention her output of puns."

Shantae smirked again. "Was that hesitation I heard? Hmm, Sky?" The blonde glared at her, before shaking her head in defeat.

"Shut up. Just… don't talk about it." The dancer's smirk quickly turned into a worried expression, placing her hand on Sky's shoulder, which was slightly awkward given the height difference.

"You can tell me, I won't judge. I'm there for you, that's what friends are for." Sky glanced at Shantae, who was putting on her best face of encouragement.

"No, Shantae. Not now. And I _don't_ 'like' her," she said calmly, guiding them both back to her kitchen area. The genie pouted, wanting to help Sky's out. Before she could say another word, the bathroom door slammed open, a towel wrapped around the head of the zombie who came stumbling out.

"Take it off! I can't see! You need toi-let me see again!"

Both the birdkeeper and the dancer groaned at the pun, Sky moving forward to unwind the towel from Rotty's head. How she got it stuck, she would never know. Upon seeing Sky, Rotty cheered, throwing her arms around the blonde and squeezing her half to death. She then ran over to Shantae and shook the life out of her.

"It's Halloween soon! We need to think about costumes!" She shouted with excitement. Sky pulled the hyper zombie off while the (literally) shaken genie collected herself.

"Halloween is two weeks away, Rotty. And technically, you're always in costume. We'll think of one by then, trust me."

"I KNOW!" Throwing Sky off of her back, Rotty lunging and Shantae and grabbing her bra. "I can wear this and you can wear my stuff! Deal?"

" _ROTTY,_ _NO, GET OFF,_ " Shantae squealed, batting the zombie away and readjusting her bra. "You don't just make a grab at someone's clothes and try to _strip_ them right then and there! I just said Halloween is two weeks away, so you can wait. And Sky is right there!" Shantae fumed, pointing at the blonde who had gone very red in the face. Rotty looked between the two and grinned.

"Cool, I'll strip ya down later then."

" _ROTTY!_ _I SAID N-_ you know what?"

For the second time that day, Rottytops found herself being thrown into the sparkling sea.

* * *

"I can't believe you let her go through with it, Shantae. Although I must admit, you look quite good," Sky giggled, complimenting Shantae's costume. Well, it was really more just Rottytops' outfit, earrings and headband included. "How did you swap clothes? I'm guessing you didn't strip down in front—" The genie gave Sky a scathing glare at her remark. "Yep, moving on. I'm a bird this year. Surprised?" Shantae shook her head.

"Aww, even Wrench is dressing up," Rottytops said, coming up from behind them. The mentioned bird looked up at the call of his name, now black with white highlights and a white skull painted onto his face.

"Yeah, of course! I wouldn't forget my other best friend! Although he wouldn't sit still," Sky grinned, quickly narrowing her eyes at the apparently mischievous bird. "You look good, for a braindead zombie." _'Cute, I'd add.'_

"I am _not_ braindead, you bird-brained chocobo," Rottytops retorted, crossing her arms. Sky's costume consisted of a large bird hat on her head, the beak over her face. It still hid her golden locks, which disappointed Rotty, but it was balanced out with the hilarity of the birdkeeper's orange socks, meant to mimic the legs of the bird, and her torso which was covered in a feathered vest and shorts, yet exposed enough to keep the green girl satisfied in her mind. ' _You're adorable, Bird Girl. I wish I could tell you that without you beating me up.'_

"What?" Both Shantae and Sky asked in unison.

"Chocobo. It's her costume. Ugh, never mind. I suppose I'll have to distract you with a classic genie dance. It's a must since we've done a spooky costume switcheroo," Rotty chuckled, mocking Shantae's transformation dances.

"Well at least I know more than swinging my hips back and forth on the spot," Shantae teased back, mocking the zombie's trademark dance.

"Mmm, swing those hips girl. I'm sure Sky loves it." Both girls blushed and glared at Rotty, who stood there laughing. As Sky looked away in embarrassment or disgust, the undead girl quickly winked at Shantae, who knew exactly what message she was trying to get across.

' _Risky would love it too.'_

Sticking her tongue out at Rotty, the half-genie heroine realised she had left her candy at home. She glanced at her friends, who had remembered to bring theirs.

"Girls, I left my candy at home. I'll run and go grab it, you two go ahead and meet up with Bolo and Uncle Mimic," she said, receiving nods and smiles.

"That's alright, we'll see you there shortly," Sky replied, hugging her friend again.

"Yeah! And then we can have a dance-off! With Bolo and Sky as the judges!" Rotty suggested. Shantae sighed. Bolo loved watching her dance, and of course Rotty would want to embarrass her as much as possible. She'd get back at her, one way or another.

"Whatever you say Rotty, prepare to lose. In fifteen minutes. I'll be back!"

Shantae ran towards her lighthouse home, jumping over the gaps in the walkway. Whoever maintained it seriously needed to step their game up. Who even looked after it? Shantae facepalmed. Bolo did. That explained everything.

Reaching her home she took her keys out of the back pocket of Rotty's shorts, and put them in the lock. (Pockets were quite helpful, maybe she should add some to her own costume. Then again, summoning her items seemed to be just as useful. If she had what she needed in the first place.) However, to the genie's shock, the door slowly creaked open. She had sworn she locked the door when she left – she always locked the door when she left.

"H-h-hello?" She called out into the darkness in front of her. No answer.

Fear gripping her, she slowly entered her home. Not able to see well in the near-darkness of the night, she bumped into an object, tipping it over and causing a large crash. She screamed and jumped in fright, stumbling into what seemed to be her table and ending up in a heap on the floor, as more crashing of furniture surrounded her. Blowing hair out of her face, she cursed under her breath as she lit a fireball in her hand. Why did she not think of that before?

Making quick work of lighting up the candles and other lights around her home, she looked at the damage. The table, chairs, and apparently a hatstand appeared to be the only victims in the room. But she was the one who caused that so what…

 _'Upstairs.'_

Shimmying up her rope in a hurry, the genie flicked a fireball expertly to her lamp. She gasped in horror as she found her bedroom in complete chaos. Costumes, clothes, potions, and more were thrown everywhere, as well as her bedsheets. Her personal chest was open, as well as her drawers in her nightstand. Even her plushies were off the shelf and on the floor. What or who was here?

Panicking, Shantae began to throw stuff into the area where they were generally kept, when she spotted a piece of paper on her overturned bed. She picked it up, reading the cursive handwriting;

 _Brat,_

 _You'd think you could just take my hat like that, and expect me to come to you for it? Ha! In your dreams, you foolish child. It's back where it belongs, on my head, and soon, I'll have yours in my possession as a warning to all those who oppose me._

 _Don't bother coming for me. I'll be back for you, and you won't survive this time. I'll make sure of it. Our fights are fun, if one-sided. To me. Obviously. I just let you win every other time, don't think otherwise._

 _-Love- From,_

 _Risky Boots. -xoxo-_

 _P.S. I took my hat back in case you didn't realise. You're pretty stupid, so I'm just making sure you know._

 _P.P.S. I'm not sorry about the mess. You deserve it. Runt._

 _P.P.P.S. A plushie of me? Seriously? That's cute. I guess. It's quite flattering honestly. I might let you live next time. We'll see._

Shantae smiled goofily. It seems Risky didn't take anything important but her hat. She was disappointed that she never got to see the pirate and talk to her like she had planned, but a note from her was nice. Shantae was also able to see the word 'love' crossed out, which had her stomach filled with butterflies.

She set the note down and looked at her room. It could wait until she got back. She slid down her rope, grabbed her candy off her kitchen bench and made sure to lock the door again. As she skipped back to meet up with the others, she thought of one thing that would both rile up her rival and make her show some respect.

Shantae would turn up at her hideout again. Whether she liked it or not. _'And this time, I'm not leaving without a kiss.'_

* * *

The self-proclaimed Queen of the Seven Seas laid in her bathtub, relaxing after yet another… well, not-so-daring raid. She eyed her hat, as if it would run away by itself. Letting out a sigh, Risky grabbed the object on the stand next to her.

A plushie of Shantae.

Risky smiled to herself. She truly was flattered by the girl having one of the mighty Pirate Queen. Yet, the dancer could never find out that Risky had one of her too. Her fearsome reputation might get ruined. She placed it back down and closed her eyes in relief. Maybe she should go back and surprise her in a costume – it was Halloween after all. Wait in her house, scare her as she walked through the door, stab her and leave her for dead. Risky opened her eyes, ceasing to smile.

No. That wouldn't be fair. She was enjoyable to be around, which the pirate hated to admit, and if she were to kill the genie, it would need to be a fair fight. Mostly. Closing her eyes again, Risky decided to relax at her hideout. She wouldn't ruin Shantae's night. She deserved the break, as well as a decent holiday.

Just like she deserved the mess Risky left in her room.

* * *

 **I DID A THING! HAPPY TWO DAY LATE HALLOWEEN FROM AUSTRALIA! (or Upside-Down Land. Call it what you will.)**

 **I find the Shantae and Rotty costume swap absolutely adorable. And I think I've made my decision on who's best besides Shantae - Rottytops.**

 **But Sky is still awesome.**

 **But as awesome as Rotty?**

 **Okay maybe I haven't made up my mind. It's hard.**

 **I'm about to undertake exams so I don't have plans for anything before December(or do I... insert winky face here), but there will definitely be a Christmas chapter. Got it all planned out. Wish I could say the same about my life. (Just kidding, got that all planned out too. Mostly. I think.)**

 **Thanks for reading, and again, criticism is welcome, and feel free to let me know about any typos or errors!**

 **Till next timeohmygodmyexamsstarttomorrowandits1amhelpme,**

 **-Tommycats**

 **P.S. Yes the chapter title sucks, but I needed to relate it to Halloween somehow.**

 **P.P.S. Boo. Ha, scared ya.**

 **P.P.P.S There doesn't seem to be an option on the site to cross words out. Huh. Pretend the 'love' and 'xoxo' in Risky's letter is crossed out. kthxbai**


	11. Old Wounds

**Warning: One swear word in this chapter.**

* * *

Shantae burst through the surface of the water, startling the pirate planning at her desk. Ink spilled over the parchment, and Risky felt her blood boil as the genie transformed back into her normal form. She had spent hours on that… twelve minutes were close enough to a few hours, right? Either way, ink was hard to clean off her desk, and that was twelve minutes wasted. _'Not like spending several actual hours daydreaming about Shantae was a waste. Oh, wait.'_ Risky rolled her eyes at her own mind. Why did that have to be true?

Shaking her head, she snatched her sword off the leg of the table and pointed it at the intruding girl, jabbing it menacingly at her.

"I _told_ you I would kill you the next time you come here. Am I a joke to you?" the pirate snarled while taking a few steps towards the shorter girl, keeping her blade held up.

"We both know you won't do such a thing, Risky. Besides, you should be happy! Do you know how long it took me to convince Sky to help Rottytops bake a 'late Halloween cake,' just so I could come out here and talk to you?" Shantae replied with a smile, before jumping back in fright as Risky jabbed her cutlass at her.

"This is your _last chance,_ you little runt. Get out of my sight, or I _will_ kill you." _'No you won't._ ' _'Yes I will.'_

The genie looked at her adversary in terror, before furrowing her brows in anger and stomping towards Risky. While the pirate was fighting her own mind, Shantae snatched the sword by the hilt and threw it in the water. This stunned Risky, who was about to unleash a torrent of anger at her rival, but was swiftly cut off with a slap to the face so hard she stumbled back a few steps. Risky opened and closed her jaw, making sure she could still use it, some new-found respect for Shantae. Turning to look at her, she tried to back up further from the furious girl, but found she was right up against her desk. Her dagger was right there, but she didn't reach for it.

 _'Take it, you fool! Why don't you kill her!? She's being too bold, kill her and you will rule over Scuttle Town.'_

 _'I… I don't want to hurt her.'_

 _'You_ coward.

Risky's conflicting thoughts were cut off by the genie's face appearing centimetres from hers. She gulped. The girl did _not_ look happy.

"I stole your hat because I wanted to speak with you, Risky Boots. I bribed Sky to cook with Rotty because you took it back, denying me that talk. I do not appreciate you rifling through my personal items when it was literally on top of the bed, and I _definitely_ do not appreciate you poking your stupid sword at me when I take the time out of my day to come and visit you," Shantae spat in anger. Risky could do nothing but look right into her ocean blue eyes, never hearing the genie speak so seriously or angrily before. _'She's adorable when she's angry.'_

"Do you think that maybe, just _maybe_ we could have a chat about our current relationship? Or is that too hard for the so-called Queen of the Seven Seas?"

Risky found her voice, realising that Shantae was expecting an answer.

"O-okay. Okay. Can you calm down, please?" the pirate managed to uncharacteristically squeak out. _'You're actually scared of her? Some pirate you are.'_

"Give me a reason to, you butt."

Risky swallowed. She would have to word what she wanted to say very carefully if she didn't want to anger the genie any further. She took a glance at her, noticing how her hair reflecting her mood, appearing jagged and sharp. Risky took a deep breath.

"I truly do not know where I stand with myself when concerning you, br-"

"I have a name, _woman."_

"Um, Shantae." Risky smacked herself in her own mind. Not even a sentence in and she had already messed up.

She continued, "I hate you. I hate you so much I cannot explain why I let you live every damn time. At least I thought I hated you. I do, but not to the extent that I wished."

"You're doing a terrible job at th-"

"CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK!?" Risky shouted, making Shantae jump. They glared at each other for a few moments, before Shantae rolled her eyes.

"Fine." Risky nodded in thanks, noticing that the genie too was also acting very unlike herself.

"Though I… _severely dislike_ you, you've become so much of a big part of my life that I really couldn't think what I would do without you. Yes, I could rule over everything with an iron fist, with nothing standing in my way except for those stupid Barons. But I'd be unhappy. I'd have no reason to get up and make a fantastic plan, because everything would be a breeze.

"On the other hand, I like having you around, as much as of an annoyance you are. You're cheerful, optimistic, kind, and there for me, even though I want to kill you. Nobody…" Risky hesitated. "…has ever cared for me like you before." ' _Liar.'_

"It's why I wish I hated you more. So I could do away with your pathetic existence and claim the throne of both the seas and the land. Instead, I ended up wanting you more, especially after you helped me defeat my old master," Risky trailed off, recalling the memory of kissing Shantae before she left. The genie waited a few seconds, waiting to see if Risky would continue. After about a minute, she spoke up.

"Yet, whenever I turn up, you turn me away. Why?" the dancer asked in a firm but gentler tone, having calmed down a little bit. The pirate she faced was sitting on top of her desk, her bottom lip quivering.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But-"

"Ru—Shantae, as much as I like you, this is a bit personal for my _rival_ to know. You could you it against me."

"I would _never_ do such a thing," Shantae reassured, taking a few steps towards Risky. She shrank back, climbing higher up the desk.

"I know you wouldn't. Its stupid kind of crap you do, like this, which makes me actually like you." Risky took a glance at Shantae, her crimson eyes meeting with the tranquil ocean blue of Shantae's. "Please, girl. I'm not ready for this."

She shifted her gaze, blankly staring past Shantae. The genie, calmer than before, closed the distance between them and embraced Risky in a crushing hug. Risky was only half-surprised, assuming the dancer would do something like this, but not expecting it at the same time. She returned the hug, surprising Shantae, who didn't expect it to be returned. They held each other for a few minutes, until the awkward position of Risky sitting on the desk got to Shantae, who had to let go.

"I, um, are you-"

"I won't attack you. Not until the new year." Risky hopped off the desk, standing close to the genie. The height difference was painfully obvious. Risky had to practically look down to keep eye contact. "If that's what you were going to ask," she added.

Shantae looked up at Risky's face, searching for any tell-tale signs in her features, or in those beautiful scarlet eyes. Nothing. She let out a silent sigh; what did she expect? Risky would be a master at hiding her feelings, weaknesses, or anything else that she thought could be used against her. There was no way the genie would be able to spot any sort of hint to her past.

She still felt guilty for nearly bringing the pirate to tears, awkwardly staring at the roof in silence. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her as she was pulled into a hug just as crushing as her own. She returned it, not bothering to ask Risky why she was doing so, happy enough that it was happening in the first place.

Unknown to Shantae, Risky's walls were slowly crumbling. She had missed the loving contact of another person, going so long without it that she had nearly forgotten what it was like to have another warm body against her own, even if it was her nemesis. Over the genie's shoulder, Risky grinned wickedly. Abruptly, she let go of Shantae and thrust her into the water, laughing with glee as she did so. The tanned girl crawled out of the water, her hair over her eyes, shivering from the sudden cold.

"Are you serious?" she asked, brushing wet hair out of her face.

Risky only laughed, giving no explanation as she turned around to fix up her desk. Shantae smiled while her back was turned. It seemed Risky was a little bit happier, but it didn't mean Shantae wasn't going to get back at her. She rushed a short dance, instantly drying herself, before whipping the behind of the pirate with her purple locks.

Risky jumped into the air with a shriek, spinning around and glaring at the giggling genie. She couldn't help but feel a few butterflies in her stomach at the girl she refused to admit she loved. She couldn't stay here all day, as much as Risky secretly would've wanted her to – she had a reputation of solitude to live up to, after all.

"Alright, we're square now. Now get out," she commanded, pointing at the water Shantae had just emerged from.

"Wh-what? What did I do now?" The dancer responded in surprise, instantly ceasing her giggling. Risky looked quite serious about it too.

"Nothing. But I have the Tinkertub 4.0 arriving soon, and I'm going to have to add some modifications to it that you're not allowed to see. So leave, if you value your life… or your hair."

"You could just ask nicely. And wouldn't it be the Tinkertub 3.0, because the last boat was the P.O.O.P.T.O.O.T.—"

"Don't call it that!"

"Which means this can't be the Tinkertub 4.0, because you never really made a Tinkertub 3.0, so—"

"Okay, okay, shut up! 3.0, 4.0, whatever! You can't see what I'm going to use to defeat you next year, so scram!" Risky shouted, stamping her foot and pointing at the water again.

"Fiiiine. Just so you know, I'm not scared of you," Shantae teased, as she walked up to Risky. She had an idea of how to get what she came here for in the first place, as well as make it obvious that she would never be scared of the pirate.

"I'm aware."

"Just because you use the skull of the Pirate Master as clothes, doesn't mean you scare me," she continued. Risky stayed silent at this jab, trying to remember how Shantae figured that out. She didn't remember telling her. Maybe the Pirate Master did during one of his taunting monologues. She shuddered.

"Can we not talk about him? Ever?" she whispered, looking side to side as if the ghost would suddenly reform and take her soul.

"Oh, sorry," Shantae apologised. That was a little careless of her. "Anyway, I'm not leaving without…"

Risky blushed as she felt herself pulled into a kiss with the genie. Fighting her own instincts, she didn't kiss back, but didn't pull away either.

 _'Snap her neck!'_

 _'Kiss her back!'_

The dancer pulled away, seemingly satisfied, with a glimmer in her eyes and a beaming smile across her face. The pirate gave no hints to what she was thinking, keeping a straight face. The edge taken off of her happiness slightly, Shantae walked to the edge of the water, beginning to dance.

"Thanks for the… 'talk,' I guess," she said, waiting for a reply. Nothing. "I'm always there for you whenever you do want to tell me about your past." She finished her dance, disappearing in a puff of smoke and emerging as a mermaid. She met eyes with her rival, or friend, still not sure what their status was. Risky simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well… goodbye for now then, Risky Boots." Shantae's voice was slightly different because of the transformation, but anyone who knew her would recognise her immediately. "A-and, if I don't see you before then… Merry Christmas." Without a second thought, Shantae dived into the water, leaving the pirate alone again.

She watched the spot where the genie had dived in, the waves slowly becoming calm, before a shiny object was flung out of the water and clattered to a halt on the ground.

Her cutlass.

Suddenly overcome with anger, Risky slammed her fist into the wall next to her, only realising how much of a bad idea that was when pain rippled over her fist. Still angry, she stormed over to her bed and sat down, taking her Shantae plushie and squeezing it, as if she were choking the real Shantae. After a few seconds, she threw it down in defeat. Why, oh why, did she _always_ clam up when the girl was leaving? Why could she not have kissed back like she desperately wanted to?

Why was she so scared of someone she knew she could trust?

* * *

Meanwhile, in Scuttle Town, Sky was having a mental breakdown. Baking a cake was already hard enough. Baking a Halloween themed cake was harder.

Baking a Halloween cake with a certain zombie 'helping' her was too much to handle. It's not even Halloween anymore! It's December! They could at least make an early Christmas themed cake!

But the zombie was persistent, and to her credit, wouldn't give up. Even then, Sky was going to ask Shantae for more payment. This was a nightmare.

"ROTTY! THE EGGS NEED TO BE BROKEN _BEFORE_ YOU PUT THEM IN!"

"Oh. Whoops."

"' _WHOOPS!?'_ THAT'S YOUR REACTION TO COMPLETELY MESSING UP THE CAKE!?"

"Sky, calm down."

"I AM CALM!"

"No, you're Sky."

Sky groaned in frustration and anger, throwing down the bowl she had in her hands.

"I'm done! Bake this stupid cake yourself! Bolo could do this better than an undead mess like you!" She began to storm out of the zombie's house, but Rottytops ran in front of her, barring the door.

"Out of my way, zombie."

"Are you seriously turning to insults now? Can you please calm down, it's just a cake. We can do something else!"

"Like what? Grave-robbing for more body parts? Medicine theft? Water poisoning? Get out of my way!"

Rotty had to think fast. She and Shantae had planned this day so the genie was able to go out and meet with Risky, while giving an excuse for Rotty to spend some time with Sky. She only wished that Shantae's rendevouz was going far better than this.

"Just. Calm. Down. Please, Sky. Go sit on the couch or whatever, but just _chill._ The last thing I want to do is clean up your remains after you push me too far." Sky stared at the zombie in disbelief.

"Is that a threat?"

"Sky. Stop."

"Fine."

The blonde stomped over to the living room of Rotty's excuse of a house, seating herself in a suspiciously new chair, standing out from all the second-hand furniture in the rest of the house. Whatever. She didn't care. It was a stupid chair anyway. A stupid, comfy chair.

She glared at nothing in particular until Rotty's face appeared in front of her.

"Are you ready to try again?"

"Are you ready to stop being a brainless idiot and actually listen to me for once?" Sky snapped back. She had spent half the day with the zombie girl and she was growing sick of her presence.

"To think that Shantae looks up to you as a role model really worries me. Maybe your frustration and intensity is why boys don't stay with you long."

"What would you know about boys, you undead annoyance? You'll never know what it's like to date anyone, because who knows how long you've been undead for, and nobody would date you even if you weren't a zombie! I swear, Shantae needs to pay me more to even _begin_ to justify the amount of time I've wasted on you and your stupid cake," Sky spat, turning away from the zombie, missing the hurt displayed on Rotty's face. She knew that Shantae had paid Sky to leave her birds for a while, hoping the two could bond together during the bake. Biting her trembling lip, Rotty headed for the kitchen to make another attempt at the cake, trying not to cry.

An hour passed and the zombie came back to her birdkeeper friend, who had dozed off on the couch. Rotty felt her insides stir at the sight, wishing she could lie there with her. She knew she had little chance; their chemistry was… violent, to say the least. She gently shook whom she considered her friend awake, not wanting to make Sky mad again.

"What?" Sky asked sleepily. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes, meeting with the crimson of Rotty's.

"I need help. _Please,"_ was the response she was given. Sky looked at the body of her friend. There was egg on her arm, milk on her stomach, and batter all over her top, which was hanging down as she bent over, giving Sky the opportunity to view—

' _Bad, Sky, bad!'_

She sighed, "Fine." She stood up and grabbed Rottytops' clean arm, before gently wiping off batter from her face. "But, you follow my instructions this time. Okay?"

Rotty nodded in excitement, following Sky into the kitchen.

Another hour passed and a cake was finally in the oven, with the kitchen looking like it had exploded, imploded, then exploded again, and both girls quite tired. Rotty picked tidbits off of herself, offering Sky the shower while she cleaned up the kitchen.

"Wow, look at you, being so responsible. You don't strike me as the type to do dishes. Rather, throw them out the window and steal new ones," she taunted, yet accepting Rotty's offer.

"I prefer not to have piles of dished in my sink, thank you very much. Also, will you ever stop making jokes about me stealing just because I stole that medicine for you?" Rotty poked her tongue out, gathering up a few plates.

"No. It's fun," Sky replied, heading to Rotty's shower. Wait why did Rotty have a shower? It's not like the zombie needed to shower. Sky was pretty sure she didn't even shower anyway. Maybe she had it for guests. She stopped halfway through the door, looking back at Rotty. "Oh, um, sorry about before. You know how I get when I'm frustrated."

"It's… fine," Rotty said hesitantly, not bothering to turn around and face Sky. This sent alarms ringing within the bird trainer. The tone Rotty used was quite unlike her, and she usually accepted any apology because there was an apology in the first place. Not wanting to dwell on it too much, Sky decided to ask her if she was okay after the shower.

Neither of them could concentrate on their tasks.

The usually hyper zombie, though deflated, could not stop thinking about her _crush_ , in _her_ shower, _naked_ and… probably thinking about how weird she was. Rottytops bit her lip, putting her undead brain to work. How could she patch up this situation to the point where she could have a chance with the warbird trainer?

Sky was thinking about the zombie too, letting the water run over her, but not actually washing. Her golden hair sat around her shoulders, flowing like a waterfall, but she made no movement to clean it or any of the ingredients on her body. She was stuck in thought about the flirty zombie, and though undead, the charm she had. It was slowly taking its effect on Sky, who was beginning to think she liked the zombie in a way she shouldn't.

 _'You like boys, Sky._ Boys.'

 _'But she's cute, caring, and a good friend. What boy has done that for me? None.'_

' _She's a zombie. You know what people are called when they like dead corpses.'_

 _'She's not dead.'_

 _'She's annoying.'_

 _'It's part of her charm.'_

 _'It's not right.'_

 _'But it doesn't feel wrong either.'_

 _'She will kill you for your brains.'_

 _'I trust her.'_

Slamming on the door jerked Sky out of her argument with herself, looking around as if she forgot where she was for a second.

"Are you okay, Sky? You've been in there for twenty minutes," Rotty yelled through the door.

"I-I'm fine. My hair is being annoying again, sorry in advance for the water bill!"

"As long as you're not dead."

Sky quickly washed off any food stuck to her skin, before giving her hair a quick rinse and turning off the shower. She could have a proper bath later. Drying off, dressing, and wrapping her bandana back took a few more minutes, before she exited the bathroom to a clean kitchen.

Rottytops sat at her table, keeping an eye on the cake. She had a forlorn look her face, making Sky's heart bleed. Noticing the blonde, she quickly hid it with a smile.

"Nice shower?"

Sky ignored the question, sitting across from her friend.

"What's wrong, Rotty?"

"Wrong? What's wrong is the cake isn't done yet. That's what's wrong," Rotty answered.

"Rottytops. Don't pretend I didn't see that face. Tell me what's happening. Was it something I said earlier?" Sky looked at Rotty's crimson orbs, which refused to look back at her.

"Nothing, really."

"Rotty."

"You have a knack of really making me feel like shit, to put it bluntly," Rotty stated. She didn't care what words she used at this point. Her chance with Sky was ruined anyway. "I'm so happy to know that you wouldn't want to spend time with me even if you were paid, because I'm just _that_ annoying to you. And for your information, from what I do remember when I was alive, I had multiple boys fighting for my attention. Seriously, what the _hell_ , Sky."

The blonde put on a face of guilt. She hadn't meant to hurt Rotty. She was frustrated.

"I didn't mean it, Rotty. I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't. It's the only reason I haven't used your brains as one of the ingredients."

Sky's face turned to horror when Rottytops said that, and was more horrified to see that this time the zombie wasn't joking.

"You get frustrated and angry about the smallest things, Sky. Killing your birds, I understand, but messing up a cake a few times? Really?" Rotty sighed. "Do you even consider me a friend, or just an annoyance?"

Standing up as soon as she heard that, Sky made her way to the zombie, picked her up, and hugged her, a few tears running her cheeks.

"Of course you're my friend, Rottytops. I'm just having a few issues in my life right now and they've got me strung tight. But that's no excuses for my horrible behaviour towards you. Please forgive me." While it wasn't a lie, it wasn't the truth either. Sky only had one issue right now, but it was getting her quite tense. She couldn't let Rotty know though – the problem was whether Sky considered the zombie enough of a friend to add a certain prefix to the word 'friend.'

Rotty buried her head into Sky's shoulder and began to cry. The blonde realised she had struck a nerve in her little outburst. Remembering that Rotty already got a lot of trouble just for being undead, let alone previously working with the pirate Risky Boots, Sky felt even more guilty for adding herself to the list of people that gave the poor zombie unnecessary trouble. She made a promise to herself to not let the undead girl down anymore and to be as friendly with her as possible. She would have her outbursts, yes, she always did, but she would keep away from insulting the zombie too much.

Sky then, perhaps out of instinct when dealing with an emotional Shantae, kissed Rotty's forehead, not realising she had done so. Rottytops looked up hopefully, a cute smile plastered on her face. Sky noticed, wondering what had made her so happy.

"What?" she asked.

"You just kissed me."

"I did?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Sky's eyes widened in shock as Rotty quickly pressed her lips to her own. She let go of the zombie, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She felt sick. Not because Rotty was a zombie – she actually had quite soft lips – but because kissing another girl was such an immoral thing to her. She was Sky! The most moral and socially acceptable girl around! What would people think of her if they knew she had kissed a girl? An _undead_ girl, to be exact.

"Sky?"

Sky swallowed. She'd just let the zombie down gently. She wasn't ready for this.

"I… Um…"

"You don't like girls? I should've known…" Rottytops assumed, her mood deflating again.

"I d-didn't say that." _'Did you just imply you like girls?'_

"Oh?"

"I… I don't think I do. But…" _'You just did.'_

But?" Rottytops prodded, trying not to get her hopes up.

"B-b-but I'm… Ugh," Sky shook her head, waking herself from the enjoyable sensation of another girls lips on hers. "I shouldn't. It's not right."

"Says who?"

"Says society." Rotty rolled her eyes when she heard this.

"Society also says that all zombies are evil and want to kill you, birds are too hard to train, and books aren't boring. Which one of those are true? None."

"Uh, the books one is true. Anyway, I-"

"Can you just tell me if you like me or not, Sky," the zombie pleaded. She needed to know. She could handle rejection, as long as they stayed friends.

"Yes? I mean, I've had a few impure thoughts about you, and you're a really nice girl and all that—"

"Impure? I prefer the term 'natural.'"

"But I can't date you. I'm sorry," Sky apologised, watching Rotty's face fall into a sad expression.

"Oh. Okay."

"Not because I don't like you, just… we fight so much. It wouldn't last long… and it's kind of taboo to me. Girl on girl. That's like Shantae dating Risky – it just wouldn't work."

Wisely, Rotty kept her mouth shut at this remark. Shantae had explicitly said that she should be the one that would break the news the Sky.

"Sky, is this more of a 'liking me' thing, or a moral thing," Rotty questioned. Sky drooped.

"Honestly, Rottytops… It's a 'figuring my life out' thing. Notice how I haven't dated anyone since the time Risky and Shantae allied?" Sky exhaled deeply, fighting between how she felt and her own beliefs.

"It's alright. I'm here for you, whether you like me or not. That's what friends are for right?" Rotty embraced Sky, who returned the gesture, feeling a little bit more comfortable in the zombie's arms.

The oven dinged, alerting the two to the fact that the cake was ready.

"Up for some late Halloween cake?"

"Call it what you will Rotty, but it's actually an early Christmas cake."

The girls talked and laughed over the cake, which had turned out pretty well. Soon, the sun had set and it was time for Sky to return home and feed her birds. Once she was alone, Rotty danced a little jig. She hadn't been rejected! She grabbed some celebratory ice-cream out of her freezer, making a mental note to visit her genie friend and see how her day had turned out. Hopefully, it was just as successful as hers.

* * *

 **I think it's pretty badass that Risky uses the skull of her previous master as part of her clothes.**

 **Anyway, that's all done now. My longest chapter yet. I think I did okay.**

 **I had different ideas for both scenarios, especially the Riskae one. I couldn't decide whether I should have Shantae extremely mad or have the two actually fight. I decided to go with a bit of a middle ground, but leaning towards mad Shantae.**

 **A Christmas chapter is still planned, don't worry, but it may not be as long as the previous chapters, let alone this one, as I'm pretty busy at the moment.**

 **Feel free to leave reviews, criticism, and let me know of any typos and errors!**

 **Till next time,**

 **\- Tommycats.**

 **P.S. The ending may seem a little bit rushed. Truth be told, I was writing the end of this chapter as the limited Shantae bundle was being released, and I missed out on it because of Australia's shoddy 3rd world internet. I lost literally all motivation after that. Sorry if it made a good chapter into a bad one.** **Edit: I got it in the second batch! :D**

 **P.P.S. I wrote a Sky x Shantae fanfic as a request, check it out if you're interested in that pairing.**


	12. Holiday Wishes

The group chattered amongst themselves, laughter filling that particular section of the café. It was Christmas Eve, and Shantae and her friends had spent the day playing with children, having snowball fights, and delivering presents in a heroic fashion.

Because of the warm climate, it didn't naturally snow in Scuttle Town, but every year Shantae would use her genie powers to make it snow for the week before, during, and after Christmas. Everyone enjoyed it, especially the children, the snow blanketing the town in a beautiful carpet of white, a large and decorated tree situated in the plaza outside of the art gallery.

The genie hero herself was dressed as Santa, albeit without the beard. Her hair didn't have her ponytail clasp, instead being tied with a large green and red bow around neck-length. She had a short red cape that went over her shoulders, complete with a fluffy trim around the edges. Her bra was swapped out with a red tube around her chest that also had a fluffy white trim on the upper edge, yet keeping her cleavage exposed as much as it usually was. For her waist, a short skirt with a trim on the bottom of it was worn with a black belt, and to complete the outfit, Shantae had white gloves, white stockings half-way up her thighs, a Santa hat, and two small pom-poms on a necklace around her neck.

Her friends were just as dressed as she was. Bolo was dressed as a yeti, which the children of the town loved, the poor boy absolutely tired from playing tag and hide-and-seek all day. Sky and Rottytops had both dressed as elves, though their costumes differed quite a bit. Sky, of course, had eggs on her outfit, and had a red bandana with trees on it rather than her blue one. Her hood was a mix of an elf hat and a reindeer face, tossing up between the two the night before, before giving up and just implementing the face of the reindeer into the hood. Of course, Sky was never complete without her glove and Wrench, who was dressed like Rudolph.

Rottytops was more of a typical elf, though she seemed to like wearing little, almost as if she was purposely teasing every teenage boy in town. She had a miniskirt as short as her shorts, and stocking that went up as high as Shantae's. Her chest was covered with another short tank top, but with the printing of an elf's costume on it. She constantly made remarks about how Shantae would've been a better elf because of her pointed ears, which the genie had grown sick of by the first half hour.

"But you would look—"

"Leave her alone, Rotty. I think she gets the point."

"Just saying…"

The star of the town, however, was no one else but Uncle Mimic, his build and beard making him the perfect representation of Father Christmas. He set up a grand chair he had built in the town plaza, asking children what they would like for Christmas and getting Shantae and her friends to deliver toys he had made over the year as gifts. Wrench had spent most of the day perched on a stand next to him, enjoying the constant food he was offered by kids waiting in line to speak to Mimic.

Sometimes, if it wasn't too much for her, Shantae would grant a small wish for each child that came to see Mimic. Knowing that Shantae had certain limits, most children would ask for sweets, toys, books, or even just a hug from the heroine herself. Shantae had outdone herself today, expending a lot of her energy and unfortunately having to leave everyone else to deal with the deliveries. As a result, the tight group of friends were quite tired, especially the genie herself.

Shantae stretched, extending her arms in the air and pushing out her chest in a large yawn. In the corner of her eye, she saw Bolo watching her.

"Enjoying the show?" She asked, settling back into position.

"W-what? What show? I wasn't watching anything, I swear!"

Shantae giggled at the flustered face of her closest male friend. He was a good kid, if a year younger. Though she did like him, Shantae had greater feelings for Risky, and she couldn't help but feel that Bolo might be suited more to a girl with a less life-threating job than her.

She stretched again, this time reaching towards the other end of the table. A pair of hands clamped down on her wrists, pinning them to the table.

"Gotcha," Rottytops chuckled, using one hand to keep the genie's hands bound together and reaching for her hat. "I want the hat. It's mine now. Give."

Shantae shook herself out of Rotty's grip, blowing a raspberry at the zombie in wake of her mini victory. The girl across from her blew a raspberry back, rudely interrupted by a chunk of lamington exploding against her face.

"Hey!" Rotty looked around, spying a certain birdkeeper trying to act innocent and eat her food. It didn't help that she happened to be the only one with a lamington on her plate, as well as a massive smirk that she was attempting badly to hide. "Oh, I just _wonder_ who that was, Sky."

"No clue," was the monotone response. Rotty raised an eyebrow.

"You're the only one here with lamingtons, bird-brain."

"No idea what you're talking about," Sky said, but a small smile was beginning to form upon her mouth. Rotty grinned. She picked up the remains of her own dessert, throwing them full force at the blonde. The food burst into tiny chunks on contact with her face, and Sky dropped her fork in shock. She took a few seconds to process what happened, before taking another chunk of lamington and throwing it back at the zombie.

Completely missing.

"Ha," Rotty chuckled, leaning over far enough to Sky so that only she was able to hear the zombie's next words. "You throw about as straight as your sexuality," the undead girl whispered seductively.

"Rotty, please. Not now." Purple eyes met with crimson red, and Rotty understood that Sky needed a little bit more time.

"Right. Sorry. Guess I'll have to cross out the mistletoe idea," she murmured as she pulled away, eliciting a giggle from Sky.

 _'That's cute of her,'_ the birdkeeper thought.

"If you're done with whispering whatever secrets you two have with each other," Shantae interrupted, pausing and giving Rotty a knowing look, "I'm going to head home for the night. We have an early start, don't we Bolo?" The boy in question groaned at the reminder as Sky and Rotty cleaned their faces with napkins.

"Setting up the celebrations for the day at four in the morning _suuuucks_."

"Well we only have to do it once a year, so you can be thankful for that at least." Bolo eyed Shantae, mild frustration in his eyes. He shook his head, standing up, Shantae quickly following suit.

"I suppose. Do you want me to walk you home?" he offered. Shantae shook her head, ignoring the snickering from Rottytops.

"No thanks," she politely declined. "I need to stop by Uncle Mimic's and grab something anyway." It wasn't entirely true. She had nothing to collect, but wanted to say goodnight to him anyway. In all honesty, Shantae was just really tired and wanted to get home as soon as possible.

"Alright. I'll see you in the plaza at four." Bolo waved as he left, the girls all waving back as he exited the café.

"Offering to walk you home? What a gentleman," Rotty said, beginning to laugh again. Shantae rolled her eyes, about to retort back when Sky spoke up first.

"Something you could take note of, dear Rotty. I don't think you've ever offered anyone such a thing." The comment silenced the undead girl, who began to turn red now that she was both in the spotlight and that the statement was true. She glanced to Shantae, looking for some help. The genie grinned in a way that told Rotty that she was on her own for this one. She gulped.

"I, uh… would… w-would you l-like me to walk you home, Sky?" Rotty stammered as she spoke, her face heating up even further. Sky took her time finishing her lamington, silently enjoying the mental torture she was putting the zombie through. She cleaned her plate, setting down her cutlery and looking Rottytops dead in the eye, causing her to further blush.

Shantae watched, noticing how Sky was the only person in the entire town who could make the carefree zombie suddenly become self-conscious and flustered, something which Rottytops was not known for.

"That would be lovely, Rotty," Sky said calmly, standing up and walking around to her friend. Rotty shakily stood up, extending her hand for the blonde to take.

"You have quite the effect on her, Sky," Shanate commented, the birdkeeper winking at her.

"I'll pay, Shae. You go and see your uncle." Shantae nodded, quickly giving Sky and Rotty a quick hug before jogging out the door. "As for _you,_ Rotty." The green girl, still flustered, turned her head to Sky.

"Yes?" she croaked. Sky smiled warmly.

"Sleepover tonight?"

* * *

Shantae ran from her Uncle's workshop after saying goodnight to him, her tiredness beginning to catch up to her. As she ran along the familiar pier, she pondered over the state of Sky and Rotty's relationship. Rotty had told her everything that had had happened on that day, and though Shantae was happy for her friend, she was also concerned for her, not wanting the zombie to get her hopes up too much.

"Maybe I should speak to Sky…" Murmuring to herself as she unlocked the door, she used some magic to spark some lights to life, before freezing on the spot at what she saw.

There was a present addressed to her on the table. Only one person could write the perfect cursive that was on the tag.

Risky Boots.

It was clear that the pirate had broken into her house (again) to deliver the present. While Shantae was happy about it, she also mildly worried. The last time Risky had broken into her house to deliver a 'gift' ended up with the town hero trapped in a bathtub while being interrogated by Risky about Tinkerbats. Shantae blushed at the memory. _'If I didn't make so many bubbles then she would've seen my—_ ' the genie bit her tongue to distract herself from her thoughts, carefully approaching the wrapped box.

Nobody could blame her for being hesitant to even touch it. Risky had quite a history of setting wicked traps, and Shantae had quite the history of falling for them. Gently picking it up, it felt like a normal present. No explosions had happened.

Yet.

Her tiredness completely gone, she slowly unwrapped the ribbon that formed a well-made bow, noticing that it was a two-tone red and purple ribbon. The wrapping of the present itself was the same coloured gold as her tiara. Though Shantae could say that the choice of colours was a coincidence, knowing Risky, it was probably planned.

The ribbon fell away, leaving the box bare and ready to open. Standing back as far as possible, Shantae used her fingertips to lift the lid of the gift, expecting a Tinkerbat or some mechanical contraption to burst out and start ripping her to shreds. She'd have little defense either, as her hair was tied differently and she didn't like using large amounts of magic within her house.

When nothing came out to kill her, Shantae peeked over the edge of the box, seeing only a letter and another wrapped object, which was lumpy in shape. She took the card, deciding to see what her best frenemy had written for her.

 _Dear -Runt- Shantae,_

 _Merry Christmas. Enjoy the gift. It may very well be your last gift you ever receive, since I'm going to completely obliterate you next year._

 _Before I forget; screw you for the snow. Do you know how hard it is to sail a ship when the sails have snow clogged in them? Nevermind, I forgot you have no idea what any part of a ship is. I'm surprised you're able to recite the alphabet._

 _I'll see you next year._

 _Love,_

 _Risky Boots_

 _P.S. I think the ribbon on this gift would look nice if it was tied in your hair. Not that I care what you look like. I definitely won't care when I kill you. Whatever._

Shantae smiled, rereading the card again. It was just so Risky, with the perfect amount of threats and teasing, but written in a way that showed that she did care what she wrote and how the purplette felt, especially when 'runt' was crossed out at the start. What made Shantae happiest was seeing that this time, Risky ended her card with 'love,' which wasn't crossed out like last time. Perhaps she was warming to the genie after all.

Shantae glanced at the ribbon, before pulling it out from under the box and wrapping it loosely around her wrist, so she could store it upstairs. Setting the card down gently, Shantae reached in and grabbed the wrapped lump. It was soft. She hummed for a moment, deciding that she could have just one early gift. Tearing into the present, the genie was overjoyed to see that it was another plushie, except this time it was of the Tinkertub. (It was the 2.0 variant, easily identified by the lack of eyes on the ship.) She held it tightly against her chest, jumping on the spot in happiness.

Her tiredness beginning to return, Shantae stretched and yawned, placing the lid of the box back where it belonged before sluggishly shimmying her way up the rope to her room. She fell into bed, happy that she had planned ahead and had set the alarm clock earlier. Not even bothering to change, and only taking her hat off, she laid on top of the sheets, her new plushie right next to her face.

Shantae lay peacefully, the scent of Risky that still lingered on the handstitched toy lulling her into a deep sleep.

* * *

Risky looked through her eyeglass, waiting for the genie to walk into her house. She had set up a present on the table, and made sure it was in perfect view in the window, so she was able to see it from her hiding position in the trees across the bay from the lighthouse. Finally, the girl walked in, and Risky chuckled at the hesitant actions she performed.

Watching her open it and read the card first, a smile broke out on Shantae's face; one that had Risky feeling butterflies in her stomach. She continued to watch as the genie unwrapped the plushie, surprised at how ecstatic she got over it.

If Risky had a few butterflies in her stomach before, she had a few hundred now. She found herself admiring how the girl could be so happy about something so simple, while Risky herself could only feel the same level of happiness if one of her plans had gone right.

Which they never did. The pirate felt a little bit down by not necessarily the failure of each plan, but that each one involved the intention of hurting or even killing Shantae.

Noticing sudden tiredness overcome Shantae, who began to shimmy up her rope, Risky put down her eyeglass. It was worth waiting a few hours just to see the excitement that the young girl demonstrated. She sat there for a bit, not minding the snow gently settling upon her.

Risky did like Shantae. She was coming to terms with it. Not only that, but the self-proclaimed queen found herself caring for the local hero.

But did she love her?

Risky stood up and brushed herself off, heading back to the Tinkertub she had hidden on the other side of the coast.

That was a question that could be answered the next time she saw the genie, be it in battle or another visit.

* * *

In the plaza, a zombie was walking side by side with a hooded birdkeeper. Their conversation was filled with laughter and happy subjects, until they came to the door of the aviary.

"Hey, Rotty," Sky said, interrupting her friend's monologue about why a standalone game starring the undead girl would be amazing. Whatever that was. "Look up."

The undead girl looked up, her crimson eyes focusing on a plant hanging from the roof.

"Is that—" Rotty stopped talking, her eyes widening as she felt a pair of lips gently press against her cheek.

"It is. Now come on, I'm tired and I know you will be, zombie or not." Sky opened the door to her house, feeling lightheaded.

A good type of lightheaded.

"Does that mean… you know?" Rotty timidly asked as she followed Sky into her home. She immediately regretted her decision when the girl in front of her stiffened up.

"I'm… I'm still deciding. You know how much this is of a deal to me. I just wanted to say thanks. Or, show it via that. I didn't mean to get your hopes u—" Sky's voice died out as Rotty hugged her from behind. Her lip trembled, thankful that the zombie couldn't see her face.

"It's fine. I understand." Rotty turned the blonde around, who wasn't expecting it, unable to hide her sad expression from the green girl. Rotty noticed, but didn't push it. "When you're ready, I'll be here waiting for you."

Sky nodded, lest she cry, not used to hearing passionate understanding from her zombie friend.

"I-I'll go get u-us some pyjamas." The blonde turned away, wanting to hide herself from Rotty for a minute so she could sort herself out, but was called back by her. Slowly, Sky came back, and was surprised to feel the zombie's lips on her own cheek. She was then brought into a hug by Rotty, feeling a little bit happier, and even… safer in her arms.

"Merry Christmas, Sky."

Sky smiled, returning the hug at last.

"Merry Christmas, Rottytops."

* * *

 **MERRY HALLOWEEN!**

 **Wait.**

 **HAPPY EASTER!**

 **No, that's not it... ah!**

 **HAPPY BIRTHD- nope, not that either.**

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS! I was originally going to upload this on the 25th but with how much stuff I have going on on that day I figured I might as well just upload it now.**

 **I decided to throw a little bit of Australia into the story - we don't get snow here at all during the year, unless you visit the mountains during the winter period. And judging by the everyday attire of Shantae and her friends, it seems to be pretty warm there, Frostbite Island being an exception. Also, did you like my little attempt at a fourth wall break like the games themselves do? I have a better one, but that will be used in a future chapter.**

 **I have plans for what's next. I'm in the middle of figuring out how to make it flow from this chapter but hopefully it'll be up by February.**

 **Why Feb? That's a pretty big gap from now. Well, I'm 'relaxing' (stressing about my own future) for the rest of the year, and then Uni applications happen in January, so my time will be taken up by that, along with other personal problems that are hindering me at the moment, so I'll see how I go. But it'll definitely be out by then. I promise. As long as I keep the cat away from my computer anyway.**

 **As always, typo pointers, reviews, and criticism welcome, it always makes me happy to see that someone likes my story enough to comment on it. Or favourite/follow it. A real confidence booster - I'm doing something people like for once!**

 **Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**


	13. Allied?

Shantae bolted out of her bed, stripping out of her pajamas and haphazardly throwing on her normal outfit. She hissed as she accidentally pulled her hair too hard trying to get it into its golden clasp, before nearly tripping over as she slipped her shoes on in a rush.

The explosions coming from the plaza continued, causing the genie to get jittery and burst out her door while still adjusting her tiara. The harsh wind and snow nearly blew her right back in, but Shantae forced herself through it, using a light amount of magic to heat up her body.

As she ran, the purplette made a base check of everything that was out of place.

One; the snow had been continuing on for too long. It was supposed to stop three days ago, and Shantae had even felt her powers over it come to a close. Yet, it continued, and it was much, much colder than her holiday summons. She was really counting on Mayor Scuttlebutt to not fire her again – this mishap was actually out of her control.

Two; the explosions in the plaza. Risky had promised not to attack until the New Year, and it was not quite the New Year. Either she had lied once again, or this attack wasn't the pirate's doing. Shantae half hoped that it was her crush, just so she could see her, but she knew that Risky wouldn't be feeling merciful.

Three; the pier was too quiet. Usually there were cannonballs raining down from an offshore Tinkertub's mortar cannons, or even basic cannons. There weren't even any Tinkerbats flying out of the water to battle her – more evidence that it may not be Risky behind this at all.

Four; she had forgotten her earrings. Dammit.

Skidding to a stop at the entrance to the plaza, Shantae was confronted with a large mech with a blue cylinder of electricity on its back. Both arms had claws attached to them, working as makeshift hands, and looked similar to the ones she had seen at the Mermaid Factory. The machine itself stood at least Shantae's height off the ground – maybe even Sky's height. The legs of the mech were thick and sturdy, and were certainly not a weakpoint.

Thankfully, the machine was facing away from her, so Shantae was able to get a good look at the cylinder on the back, which looked like it powered the whole thing. _That_ was certainly an easy weak point. What is it with enemies always making a massive weakness completely exposed? It's almost like they did it to be fair.

She realised she was too focused on the machine itself and not of her surroundings, snapping out her stupor just in time to hear a shriek and a crash as the mech shattered the fountain into bits. Overwhelmed with anger, (considering she was most likely going to have to fix the fountain herself) Shantae opened her mouth and made herself sound as threatening as possible.

"HEY!"

Of course her voice had to break. She had spoken only one word, and her voice just _had_ to break.

How 'threatening'.

The mech stiffened, before turning around slowly, revealing today's special enemy – Techno Baron.

Shantae was honestly surprised by this, expecting Ammo Baron instead, since he often terrorised the town with airships, tanks, and his hat.

"Well, well, look who just arrived. The town hero." Techno Baron sneered, his sharp reptilian teeth glinting in the light. "Do you like my latest creation? I'm sure Ammo Baron would pay me _billions_ after I prove how effective it is against you. Consider this a test run, if you will."

Shantae looked up and down the mech, now that it was facing her. Multiple thick wires were visible on the arms, most likely transporting hydraulic fluid. The chassis was very bulky, and her hair whips were not going to have any effect on it at all. Then again, she was able to easily damage and defeat Ammo Baron's tank through the hard metal. And the Tinkertub's (1.0) thick wood. Maybe she stood a chance.

"It looks as ridiculous as your hat… if you can even call that a hat," the genie spat, folding her arms.

"Oh, snap! That was… _cold,_ " a voice piped up. Turning to where the voice came from, Shantae saw Rotty giggling at her own pun while Sky shook her head in disappointment behind her. Honestly, she couldn't blame her.

"Speaking about the cold," the baron continued, though not without showing his own displeasure at the pun, "do you like my forced cold weather? I hear it's quite effective against you, considering you wear so little. It's taken me a few months to calibrate my machine at my secret base to keep the weather constantly icy."

Blushing furiously and making an attempt to cover more of herself up to no avail, Shantae wracked her brain thinking about all the colder weeks leading up to Christmas. She remembered the night where she admitted her love for Risky to Rotty being exceptionally cold, and then soon after that both days and nights were starting to drop temperatures. Uncle Mimic had predicted it was just a bad season, which would make sense, but it seemed not.

"Well, you're just going to have to tell Ammo Baron that your test run was a fa—AAH!" Shantae screamed in pain as a claw extended out and snatched one of her arms, the sharp edges of it cutting into her flesh as the grip tightened. She whacked her other hand against the contraption, but knew it was absolutely no use. "You're supposed to wait until we finish our bickering and wait for the fight music to start _before_ you attack me! Let _GO!_ "

"No," Techno Baron said firmly, raising her off the floor with the arm and enjoying her whimpers of pain as he increased the pressure of the claw on her arm. "I'm not taking any chances today. You _will_ die, I _will_ get paid, and this town _will be_ razed and turned into a profit machine! I'm going to get a fantastic bonus for ending your annoying intrusions."

"Like hell you will!"

A mace slammed into the side of the mech's cockpit, shaking the baron around, but not enough to dislodge Shantae from the literally iron grip of the claw. He spun the mech around, keeping the genie suspended in the air, looking for the person responsible.

Bolo crouched in a stance with his mace held up, ready to strike again. Behind him, Sky and Wrench were at the ready, and Rotty was prepared to attack too.

"Let her go. Now," Bolo said, his voice dripping with venom.

"Or what?" The baron sneered again, knowing that the group would never be able to damage his machine. Then he took a second look at Bolo. "Wait, aren't you the kid who worked on one of my turrets, and completely messed up?"

Bolo didn't appear too fazed at being called out. "Nope, that was my cousin."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Does it look like I'm wearing some stupid glasses?" Bolo replied, pointing to his eyes.

"Ah. Well tell your cousin he's fired. Anyway, where were we? Oh, yes. Ahem. _Or what?!"_

"Or we'll _sleigh_ you before you get the chance to scare the _chill_ -dren, and there's _snow_ way we're going to let you get away!" Rotty yelled back, before every head turned in her direction. Even Shantae stopped struggling to look at her with a face of complete disappointment. "Erm… too much?"

Before the Techno Baron could reply, a loud boom was heard. Everyone turned to look for the source of the noise, and it was Sky who noticed the threat first. She slapped a palm to her mouth in shock, wordlessly pointing at the object.

Before the baron could turn his mech to see what Sky was pointing at, a large cannonball crashed into the power source on the back, shattering it into pieces. With the mech failing, he ejected out of the cockpit, landing on the snow and rolling to a stop, away from everyone else.

The grip on Shantae's arm weakened, and she managed to pull herself free from the machine before it slumped to the ground with a cannonball lodged in its back. Wasting no time, she ran towards Techno Baron, whipping him hard and launching him into the sky with a twinkle.

Spinning around, Shantae found the reason why Rotty wasn't prematurely celebrating like always. She and Sky were staring at a certain figure, while the genie swore Bolo had the worst situational awareness, already trying to remove the cannonball from the mech.

Risky Boots stood under the archway which led back to the lighthouse, her cutlass in one hand and her pistol in the other. Glaring daggers at Sky and Rotty, she swivelled her eyes to Shantae and pointed her cutlass at the genie.

"You. With me, now," she commanded. Shantae was shocked.

"Uh, excuse me? You can't just—"

"Do you want to end this crappy weather or not? I'm freezing and I'm sure you are too. Or..." Risky smirked slyly. "…would you prefer to fight and die?"

"So you're just expecting me to come along with you and trust you not to kill me while I'm on your ship?" Shantae asked. Surely this was a joke. But then, Risky had promised not to attack until the New Year, but that was vague in itself. Was that not to attack the town, not to attack her, or both?

"Yes. You've done it before."

"But that was to help you defeat _him_! I know you Risky, and there's no way you would ever want to help me out, and I'm fine with that, which makes this is a little suspicious, sooo…" Shantae stood awkwardly, pressing her fingers together, but stayed alert in case Risky attacked suddenly.

The pirate sighed in annoyance. She was hoping Shantae would act on their relationship's odd status and accept, but apparently not. Perhaps because her friends were here?

"Unless you want to find and travel to that idiot's base alone, I recommend you come with me. I promise not to attack you until this is over, if that helps."

Shantae considered this. Risky never went back on her promises, plus she really did want to spend more time with the pirate. If only Sky and Rotty (and Bolo, who was still distracted by the mech) weren't here. She took a few steps towards her nemesis, stopping short of a sword's reach.

"Will you bring me back safely and give me a week to recover?" she asked sweetly, trying to look cute for Risky. All she got was a roll of the pirate's eyes.

"Fine. Yes. Whatever. Just hurry up and grab your stuff. The Tinkertub is docked on your pier." Risky stuck her hand out to shake on the deal, and Shantae began to approach.

"Woah woah woah woah woah, hold on here, wait a sec, stop," Sky interuppted, finally managing to find her voice. She squeezed herself between the two, earning a death glare from Risky. Turning to a similarly expressed Shantae, the birdkeeper glared right back.

"You do realise this is _Risky_ , right? She'll kill you the second you turn your back," she warned.

"If she wanted to kill me she would've done it already," Shantae huffed. "Besides, if she does attack, I'll win. I've done so every time, after all," she grinned. Risky snorted in amusement in the background.

"Only because I let you."

"Yeah, yeah, let's go already."

"Wait, no!" Sky shouted, getting in between them again. "I'm coming with you to ensure your safety. So is Rotty."

"W-whaa? Why am I involved now?" the zombie asked, but was ignored.

"No. You're not. I invited Shantae, not you," Risky growled.

"And you expect me to sit here satisfied just because Shantae can look after herself? No, I am coming, and you can fight me about it," the blonde replied, standing tall to try to intimidate the pirate. Risky just stared down at her, unamused, before pulling out her cutlass.

"Very well."

"NO!" The eldest two turned to the source of the voice: Shantae. "Just let Sky and Rotty come, Risky. Save us the hassle. Save _me_ the hassle," she pleaded. Risky scowled at her.

"So you expect me to deal with dead weight and literal dead weight on my boat?"

"Hey! I'm not _that_ dead! Don't make me come over there and give you a proper s _cold_ ing! Eh?" Rotty called. Again, she was ignored.

"Please, Risky?" Shantae put on her puppy eyes, and the pirate gave up.

"Fine," she spat, turning to Sky. " _My_ ship, _my_ rules. You annoy me, and I'm throwing you off, no matter what the runt says, got it?" Sky curtly nodded in response, dragging Rottytops to her house to grab some necessities.

"And what about him over there?" Risky asked Shantae, pointing to Bolo. He looked up, noticing the pirate for the first time, but seemed to immediately understand the situation.

"I'd love to join you on your adventure, but the Mayor will have my hide if I don't disassemble this and fix the fountain. Sorry!" Bolo then returned to dismantling the mech, leaving the two girls alone.

"Well, there's your answ—"

"You know I wanted you alone for a reason, brat, and then you had to just go and invite your idiotic friends." Shantae whipped her head around, frowning at her… enemy? Friend? Ally, definitely.

"If this Tinkertub is anything like the 2.0, we'll have enough room to be alone. I'll get Rottytops to keep Sky busy with something else, so we'll have most of the ship to ourselves!"

Risky smiled a little bit. "Sure. A whole ship to 'ourselves,' if you don't count the Tinkerbats."

Shantae's face immediately fell.

"Oh."

"Whatever," the pirate said, waving off the comment. "Just grab some clothes and anything else you need and I'll wait for you on the boat. Oh, and you can sleep in m—get your own bed!" Risky snapped, quickly turning heel and heading for her ship. Shantae was left there puzzled, wondering why Risky went from somewhat nice to her normal self, before realising that Rottytops and Sky were coming out from the birdkeeper's house.

"What was that about?" Sky set her pouch down, waiting for Rotty to catch up."

"Nothing," Shantae replied. "Just Risky being Risky. Anyway, I need to grab my earrings and some other stuff, so just wait for me, alright?" Without waiting for a response, the genie warped danced herself out of the plaza in a puff of smoke. Sky sighed. She wasn't looking forward to being near the pirate, but she had to look after Shantae. She wasn't there for the first time the two allied and she felt really bad for it but…

"You alright?" A soft voice asked from behind her. Rotty smiled sweetly as Sky faced her, calming the blonde down a bit.

"Yeah… Just… she trusts Risky too much. It's going to come back and bite her at some point."

Rotty cupped Sky's face and turned it to make sure she had eye contact.

"Sky," she said. "Shantae is a grown up girl now. You can't protect her forever, and she's capable of making decisions herself. We've both seen her in action and you have to agree that she is easily able to look after herself as well. I know you're afraid of losing her, but trust me when I say she'll always come back to you. To us. Besides, Risky is getting a little bit friendlier each time, and it's all thanks to Shantae. Just believe in her talent, alright?"

Rotty's little speech soothed Sky, who looked up at her zombie friend with a small smile.

"You know, when you're not being stupid or flirty or both, you're a really nice person to be around." The birdkeeper stepped forward, embracing Rotty in a hug. "Thank you."

Returning the hug, Rottytops couldn't help herself.

"So you're saying I'm really… n _ice_ to be around?"

"Aaaand you ruined it."

* * *

 **Hey, remember what I said about nothing happening to February?**

 **I LIED!**

 **Or in actual terms, I was just in a really writey mood so I pushed actually important things back to do this. 10/10**

 **While writing this chapter, one of the outtakes I had was a good setup for another fanfic, so that might happen at one point. Not sure when, it's an idea I'll have to flesh out.**

 **I also have a totally new fic I want to do for Shantae, but is more of a modern day AU. I'll work on it and see if the idea ends up being worthy of making.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Typo pointers, criticism, and reviews welcome!**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**


	14. One Steps Forward, the Other Steps Back

Risky glared at the two girls. Shantae's pirate talk was hard enough to deal with the first time. She'd learned to tune out the high-pitched drone of the genie's voice over the few hours she was with her, but now she'd have to relearn how to do it again.

It wasn't like Shantae was _trying_ to mock her. In fact, Risky was quite sure that the girl was only trying to be like her. Except she had never spoken in a such a way and had little patience for Shantae's gimmicks.

Secretly, she found it adorable that the genie acted so innocently and happy all the time, seemingly naïve to the cruel rules of the real world, where kindness was often exploited, and emotion taken advantage of.

Yet, the purplette had a lot of friends, was a renowned hero, and kept rather humble about it. Perhaps the world wasn't so cruel to her. Perhaps she was smarter than she acted and didn't let it get to her.

Perhaps Risky was expecting Shantae to be treated the same way she was in her earlier years, something that would crush the pirate if it were to ever happen.

Shuddering at the thought and the memories it brought up, Risky was brought back into the real world by a particularly loud squeal of glee from the genie's accomplice. This had to stop.

"ENOUGH!" She roared, stomping out onto the deck. Both zombie and genie turned towards her, goofy grins on their faces.

"Good mornin' capt'n! What can we do ya for?" Rotty saluted as she talked.

"Need us ta moisten the main snails?" Shantae offered, also saluting Risky.

"Keel the port blubber?"

"Swab the plank?"

"None of those are real!" Risky shouted, silencing the two girls. "You," she pointed at Rotty, "give me that bandana, now! As for _you,_ " she snarled, directing her attention to Shantae, "put it away and _keep_ it away unless you want me to take it back!"

"Aww, why does she get to keep her one…" the zombie whined, placing the bandana in Risky's outstretched hand.

"Because she did me a favour concerning a certain captain. Now quit whining and go inside," Risky snapped, pointing to the stairs the led below deck.

"You have a crush on her, I get it. I'll give you two a bit of alone time, see ya!" The zombie winked at Risky as she left, showing no fear from the pirate's threats.

"Why you little…"

She turned around, surprised to Sky there, but her face returned to a scowl very quickly.

"Can I help you?"

"Thanks for getting them to shut up," Sky said with a hint of anger in her voice. Shantae fidgeted where she stood. It appeared the blonde had been sleeping until the friendly pirate acting between the two youngest girls started. "Anyway, I came here to ask where the bathroom is."

Risky sighed. Couldn't this ballast find it by herself?

"Down the hall, to the right. _Don't_ use all the paper. It costs a lot."

"Like you even pay for it, _pirate,_ " Sky growled, turning heel and heading below deck. Risky clenched her fists, fuming. She _did_ pay for living necessities. It was far too much of a hassle to steal them, unless they just happened to be around during other raids. Still angered, she turned back to Shantae, who was standing there with a worried expression on her face.

"You are the most annoying little brat I have ever met, you know that?"

"You remind me every single time we meet, Risky. Can you give my friends a break? I started the acting, shout at me instead."

Risky sighed. This girl was too good for this world. She shook her head, walking to one of the sails.

"Help me turn these. Remember what I taught you; keep the wind in the sails so that it fills them up and gets us to the destination quicker."

Shantae wordlessly followed her orders, feeling a little awkward. The pair made quick work of the sails, and the ship felt like it was moving faster. It was hard to tell, though. The older woman then beckoned Shantae to follow her to the captain's quarters, who complied happily, though she couldn't help but whine a little.

"If I have to help you clean again, I'm just going to go ask one of the Tinkerbats."

Risky stopped in her tracks, facepalming. She had Tinkerbats. How on earth did she forget that. She quickly leapt down the stairs below deck, and the genie could hear her yelling at some poor involuntarily volunteers to deal with the sails for the next few hours.

Coming back up, Risky glared at her, nodding her head towards her quarters again. Shantae took this as a command to hurry up, and hurry up she did.

* * *

Sky sighed to nobody in particular when she heard Risky yelling a few select words at some Tinkerbats to help her with the sails. The blonde was seriously starting to question why she had even volunteered and forced the violent woman to let her and Rotty come. Shantae could look after herself easily, and would've probably had an easier time without them.

 _'Why do you always think about these things_ after _you're halfway through them?'_

She exited the bathroom after washing her hands, beginning to head towards her room. With a squeak of surprise, she was swiftly deviated from her path and into another room, falling atop her captor.

"Hey, beautiful."

Sky rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood for this. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Let go, Rotty."

"But I wanna hang out with my favourite non-genie!"

"Let _go!_ "

Shoving herself off of the zombie, the blonde frantically straightened her outfit with a huff, turning back to the door with the intention of locking herself in her room for the next few hours.

Two arms snatching her away from the doorway reminded her why such simple wishes would always be so hard to obtain. She was spun around, finding herself face-to-face with a grinning Rottytops, who had managed to find another bandana.

"Rotty, I just want to be left alone," Sky whined, while she tried to wriggle her way out of the zombie's surprisingly strong grip, but to no avail.

"If I let you do that, I'll die of boredom. And I'm already technically dead!" Rotty giggled at her own joke, pulling Sky in for a hug which she reluctantly returned. "Besides, I want to talk to you."

Sky grimaced. "Can't you talk Shantae's ears off today?"

"I would if Snack Cakes was here. Sky, I want to talk to _you_." Rotty finished her sentence by booping the birdkeeper on the nose, who glared at her. The zombie's smiled faded, turning into a sad expression. "Are you just trying to avoid me because… you know?"

Sky's expression softened at the low tone of Rotty's voice. She leaned a little more into the zombie, wrapping her arms around her again.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm just having an off day, with you and Shantae being noisy, and Risky being the pirate that she is." The undead girl saw right through her words.

"Am I making this awkward for you? Too pushy?" Rotty asked, letting go of Sky. The blonde shifted uncomfortably.

"A little, yes. But that's not the main problem. I… I'm…" She trailed off, unable to say what she had on her mind.

"You're finding it hard to decide how you feel about me because you want to present yourself as the perfect girl that you've always been, but are also trying to follow what you feel is right, which just happens to conflict with each other, causing you to question which one is actually right and which one you actually want," Rottytops finished for her. Sky stared at her in shock, her mouth slightly agape. She had not been expecting that from the zombie. After a few seconds, she managed to find some words to say.

"U-uh, yeah. That. Speaking from experience?" she teased in an attempt to lighten up the mood. She then mentally slapped herself. By the way she spoke about it, it was a painful memory for Rottytops. What a great mood lifter, Sky!

Not.

"Maybe," Rotty smirked, but not as widely as she usually did. "Or at least most of it. I've never been perfect, but to me, you always have been."

"T-Thank you, Rotty, truly. But, I still need a little bit of time."

 _'You do not. You've already made up your mind.'_

' _Still, she's a girl_ and _a zombie. What will everyone think of me?!'_

' _Everyone who cares about you will support you.'_

 _'But…'_

"I understand," the green girl whispered in reply, though Sky did not miss the way she quickly averted her eyes. Truthfully, she had already made up her mind. She felt bad for stalling every time, knowing that it hurt Rotty a little bit more each time she did so. But it was still a big choice for her, so Sky wanted to be absolutely sure of herself before announcing it to the undead girl.

"Want to play cards?"

Rottytops pulled out a pack of cards from seemingly nowhere, proceeding to sit down on her bed. Sky raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you steal that pack from this time?"

"Why do you always assume I steal things? Is it too _card_ for you to think of another reason?"

"You are awful, Rotty." Nevertheless, Sky sat down next to her friend as she tore the wrapping open. "What did you want to play?"

"I was thinking strip poker," Rotty said with a smirk.

"If you just so happen to convince Shantae to play, fine. Which means it's never happening."

Rotty's mouth dropped, and she stared at the birdkeeper incredulously.

"Is that a challenge?"

Sky coaxed the pack of cards out of Rotty's hands, making sure to brush against them.

"Maybe. But until then, we're playing Go Fish."

She was beginning to feel a little more confident with what her choice might turn out to be.

 _'Maybe… maybe I'll admit tomorrow, Rotty.'_

* * *

Entering the captain's quarters of the Tinkertub, the genie was surprised to see a bathtub filled with water there, though the firepit under it wasn't lit. How did Risky manage to get a firepit into her ship? The ship is wooden! Wood is flammable!

Her chain of thought was interrupted by Risky's voice: "Come here."

Meekly, the younger girl walked right up to Risky, who stood in front of her desk. She didn't look happy, and Shantae was worried about what sort of punishment she would receive.

"You will tell no one what I am about to do, understood?" Risky asked, her voice stern.

Shantae nodded out of habit, swallowing in fear. If Risky was going to hurt her, she would instantly go running to Sky or Rotty, no matter what.

 _'Why wouldn't you just fight her back?'_

 _'I… don't want to hurt her…'_

 _'Are you serious? She's made so many attempts on your life, and you've had no qualms about fighting her before.'_

 _'Things are different now.'_

Instead, she was shocked when the pirate threw her arms around her, dragging the purplette into a hug. She was stunned for a few seconds, before realising that she wasn't hugging back. Quickly remedying that issue, she let out a small, concerned croak.

"R-Risky?"

"J-just let me have this. Please," the pirate replied shakily. Shantae found no reason not to grant her the simple request.

A few moments passed without any noise between the two, until Shantae found her arms beginning to get sore from the awkward positioning. She unwrapped her arms from Risky, who followed soon after. The pirate appeared to have tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away as quickly as possible so the purplette didn't notice. But she had.

"Wha-? Risky! What's wrong?" Shantae moved in for another hug, disregarding the soreness in her arms, comforting Risky a higher priority. What had happened that made the usually hard and fiery pirate turn into a teary mess?

"Nothing," came the expected reply.

"Like I'm going to believe _that_. Tell me, Risky," Shantae pleaded, her eyes wandering over Risky's face, settling on her crimson eyes.

Risky sighed. "It was a moment of weakness. Nothing more." Within her mind, she was screaming at herself, demanding to know why she had let that little bit of weakness crack through her walls. Her anger began to seep throughout her as Shantae piped up again.

"That was not ' _nothing,'_ so why don't you—"

"Why don't you mind your own damn business, runt!" Risky yelled, spinning around and unsheathing her cutlass. "I've gone out of my way to help you defeat that moron of a baron, _and_ I've let you bring your stupid friends, so the least you can do is stop questioning me about my past! Now get out before I strangle you like I did with your mother!" The pirate said the words before she even realised she was saying them, and it put a quick end to her tirade. She slapped a hand over her mouth in an uncharacteristic display, but it was too late. Shantae was backing away from her, a mixture between fear and sadness on her face, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes.

"I-I never asked you about your past. I just w-wanted to help." With that, she ran out of the quarters, leaving Risky alone. The pirate fell backwards against the nearest wall, sliding down, all her anger replaced with guilt.

"All of the things you could lie about to make her listen," she murmured to herself, "it had to be her mother."

It wasn't long before Risky herself broke down into tears.

* * *

 **Poor Risky. She doesn't really deserve this, does she?**

 **And it's 4am. Why do I always decide to write/upload at this time?**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm starting to worry again that I'm going a little OOC, so I might relaunch the games to review their character and personality. Although, they don't venture too far outside what's shown, whereas I'm writing outside of what's in the games...**

 **I'll learn.**

 **Anyway, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up (again), totally not because I'm writing another fic at the same time. Not at all. It's because... yes.**

 **I've been playing a lot of Sea of Thieves lately so I might try to implement some adventures from there into this fic, but I'll have to see if anything really fits the theme of this.**

 **Anyway, typo pointers, criticism, reviews and faves/follows are welcome and appreciated!**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats.**

 **(I actually had to go back a chapter and see what my usual send-off was because I'm _that_ much of a dolt. I don't know why you needed to know this. But now you know. You're welcome.)**


	15. Trust

**Risky drops the F-bomb. You've been warned.**

 **And while I'm here...**

 **I do not own the Shantae series. All rights go to Matt Bozon and Wayforward.**

* * *

Shantae leaned against the railing, gazing over the ocean that whizzed past her. She could see an island in the distance, and judging by the fact it was blowing clouds out of what looked like a giant horn, it was probably the island she needed to deal with.

She huffed, looking away from it, her task the last thing she cared about at the moment. The day before, the purplette had run down to Rotty and Sky, bawling her eyes out as they attempted to comfort her. She wouldn't tell them what had happened, nor what had been said, yet they were there for her. They had always been there for her. It had taken them nearly an hour to calm her down, and she had promptly fallen asleep shortly after.

Upon waking up, she had wanted some fresh air before anything else, which is why she was out on deck now, attempting to take her mind off yesterday's events.

'Attempting' being the key word.

Footsteps behind her brought her back to the real world, but Shantae didn't turn around or acknowledge them. She just kept staring out into the peaceful ocean, turned golden and pink by the rising sun.

"Sky's ripping into her, you know." Rotty came into view at the corner of her eye, opting to also lean against the railing. Still, Shantae refused to look at her.

"So I've heard."

The zombie fell silent for a few moments before speaking again.

"You saved me from losing that game, by the way. It would've been the fourth loss in a row," she joked lightly. Shantae only grunted in response. Rottytops sighed.

"It's not like you to be angry. It doesn't suit you."

Shantae snapped her head around, glaring at the green girl.

"But it's exactly like you to be annoying and intrusive at a time like this, as well as joke around! What the hell do you want, Rotty!?" she snapped, enjoying the look of fear on Rotty's face. She whipped her head back to face the ocean, silently hoping her hair would keep the trajectory and velocity and smack the zombie in the eye.

Rotty fell into silence once again, but made no effort to move away from her friend. Instead, she kept a quiet company. A few minutes passed, Rotty too worried about Shantae to spot cloud animals like she liked to do when outside, when she heard the purplette sniffle. Instantly turning her head to look at her, the zombie saw that she had managed not to notice the girl bury her head in her hands.

"Shantae?"

"I'm not going to cry! I can't c-cry! I w-won't cr-cry…"

The genie trailed off, her voice replaced by hiccups. She cursed herself, wanting to be strong and brave.

 _'Just like my mother.'_

At the thought, Shantae lost what little composure she had left, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks as she began to cry once more. Rottytops instantly sprung into action, wrapping her arms around the shorter girl and pulling her in, running a hand along her back and whispering that everything would turn out okay into her ear.

Sky came out of the captain's quarters, slamming the door hard behind her, absolutely furious from whatever… 'discussion' she had just had with the resident pirate captain.

"ROTTY! We need to ta—" she cut herself off at the sight of the zombie holding a shaking Shantae, who was evidently crying again. Rotty looked at her with a sense of urgency, which Sky understood straight away. "Whenever you're ready," she said in a much calmer tone, giving her friend a small smile before heading below deck.

The purplette shuddered in the zombie's arms before trying to wriggle out of her embrace.

"Go see Sky," she said through her tears, though it sounded more like a request.

"Not until you're feeling better," the undead girl responded. Shantae opened her mouth to argue back, but closed it again. She knew that Rotty wouldn't leave her until she was sure the genie felt better. Shantae mumbled some response into Rotty's chest, but the zombie had no clue what she said, guessing that it went along the lines of 'fine.'

Rottytops held her like that for a few minutes more until Shantae calmed down, who then spoke something into her chest once again.

"Snack Cakes, I know you love my chest, but you're gonna have to get your face out of it if you want me to understand you." The genie hit her in the arm, presumably for the use of Rotty's unique nickname, before pulling away and looking at the slightly taller girl.

"Do you want to know what she s-said?"

Rottytops looked over Shantae's face, taking in puffy, bloodshot eyes and red cheeks. She didn't want to make her repeat what had hurt her the most, but the zombie _was_ curious…

"If you think you can handle it, sure. Don't say it if you don't think you can-"

"I asked something and she got angry and said she would strangle me like she did with my mother," Shantae interrupted, the words spilling from her mouth quickly lest she stop and never finish the sentence. Silence washed over them as Rotty deciphered and processed the words in her remains of a brain. To the genie's surprise, Rotty looked more confused than angry, expecting her to be the next one to beat Risky's door down.

"That… doesn't sound right," the zombie murmured.

"What? What do you mean?" Shantae's shock was clear in her voice.

"It means I need to talk to Sky to make sure I'm right. Maybe convince her to love my chest as much as you do," Rotty winked. "You alright now? I'm not going if—"

"I'm fine," Shantae said, though the redness on her cheeks wasn't from crying this time. "Thank you…"

"No worries, Snack Cakes," Rotty grinned, giving the purplette one last squeeze before quickly running below deck before her glare turned the zombie into ash.

Turning back to the sea, Shantae focused on the tranquillity, and definitely not the fact that the island was closer and she'd have to get to work soon. Her lip trembled, but she bit it, determined not to cry again. The prickling sensation behind her eyes eventually faded, releasing her lip and letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. After a few deep breaths, Shantae felt more Ret-2-Go than earlier.

Until she heard the unmistakeable sound of boots clicking behind her. Though she wanted to turn and scream and shout her voicebox to shreds, the genie kept her composure, waiting to see what her friend… no, _rival_ , had to say.

"We're nearly there." The deep voice of the pirate, in contrast to Rotty's higher pitch, cut through the quiet like a knife, Shantae's eyes narrowing unconsciously at the sound.

"I can see that," she replied curtly.

"I'll have to drop anchor here, though. You may have noticed that there hasn't been as much of a chill lately. Thanks to the efforts of some of my Tinkerbats, I've found out that Techno Baron's artificial clouds have receivers in them that use some form of complex science that even I'm not sure how it works. And I broke into the genie realm!"

Shantae stayed silent.

"That was… bad taste. Sorry."

Risky apologising? _'Probably a scheme to get me to talk.'_

"Anyway… He's had the clouds 'turned off,' if you will, but he has underwater sensors that will trip them if it were to detect something as big as my ship. I can row you over there if you want—"

"I'll mermaid over." Short, quick response. All she deserved.

"Alright then. Your presence on the island may trigger them, so expect it to get cold, and quickly. Once you get in the base, just destroy the machine. The signal to activate the clouds will die off with them. Since the clouds are artificial, they should dissipate too, but don't hold me to that. The baron may or may not be there, so be cautious."

Risky's finished her briefing, but Shantae still refused to look at her, or even move her head. Her purple ponytail swayed in the wind, and Risky thought to herself how beautiful she looked.

"Look, Shantae, I'm—"

"Risky." For the first time that day, Shantae turned around and took in the sight of Risky. She looked pretty. But the genie was too angry to pay it any attention. "Here."

She reached into her bra, pulling out a square of bright purple fabric. She held it out to the pirate. Risky knew exactly what it was, taking a step back in bewilderment.

"W-what? B-but I said you could keep it!"

"I don't want it." Shantae's voice was cold and hard. She threw the fabric at the pirate's face, taking a step towards her, jabbing a finger at her. "It reminds me of you."

With that, the genie spun around, walking towards the plank. She did a quick dance, transforming into a mermaid and jumping into the water before the smoke had even cleared.

Risky stared at the purple bandana at her feet, the partially revealed white skull seemingly mocking her. She picked it up, holding it to her chest and closing her eyes. She wanted to cry, to blame the Tinkerbats, anyone, for what had happened, but she knew that this time, it really was her fault.

She opened her eyes again, a renewed determination in them. She was a pirate. She got whatever she wanted, and she would do anything to get it. Risky wasn't going to lose the relationship she had built with Shantae.

She would fix this.

She would regain the trust of Shantae and her friends.

She would admit her love and reveal her ugly past.

She should probably drop the anchor.

* * *

"I'm here," Sky said as Rotty came down the steps, beckoning for her to come in her room.

"Hi Here, I'm Rotty!" The zombie grinned and stuck out her hand for a shake. Sky stopped waving and disappeared behind the doorway with a groan.

"Why do I even bother with you?" she asked as she sat down on the bed.

"Because you looooove me," Rotty smiled, jumping into a sitting position next to Sky, sending her into the air a little.

"Shut up. Is Shantae okay?" Sky asked, brushing herself off. When she got no response, she looked up at the zombie, who was sporting a stupid grin while staring intensely at her. "What?"

"You didn't say 'no,'" Rotty whispered excitedly. Sky's cheeks flushed red.

"W-well I didn't say yes either! Now, is Shantae okay or not?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Rotty said, lying back on the bed and spreading her arms. "Said something pretty interesting though."

"Which was?" Sky laid down next to her on her side, propping her head up with a hand.

"That Risky threatened to strangle her like she strangled her mother or something like that." Rotty paused, deep in thought. "It's not right."

"Of course it's not right," Sky said. "Threatening an amazing girl like Shantae is—"

"Not that," Rotty interjected. "Well, you're right, but what I meant was Risky didn't kill or strangle Shantae's mother."

Sky's eyes widened, then narrowed into a suspicious glare. "How do you know?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. What did you get out of your interrogation from Risky?"

"I'd hardly call it an interrogation."

"Yeah, more like on the verge of actually killing her."

"Well she deserves it! Nobody hurts Shantae like that," Sky huffed, sitting up and crossing her arms. Her anger from before was beginning to return. She snapped out of it when she felt a hand wrap around her arm, dragging her back down onto the bed. Upon meeting Rotty's crimson eyes, the blonde felt a surge of butterflies in her stomach, and she knew she had it bad. She smiled, and Rotty grinned in return. Slowly, the zombie rolled over until she was over Sky, who traced one of her arms, always finding the undead warmth a unique but pleasing sensation.

"You know… you're cute when you're protective and angry," Rotty whispered, moving her head closer to the blonde's beneath her.

"Is that why you pester me so much? To see me angry?" Sky teased, her hushed voice music to Rotty's ears. She made no effort to push the zombie off her, instead wrapping her arms around her neck and drinking in the features of Rotty's face.

Choosing not to reply, Rottytops slowly inched closer to Sky, maintaining eye contact with those perfect amethyst eyes. Feeling the birdkeeper's breath on her lips, she closed her eyes and pressed them against Sky's. The blonde moaned, dragging her hands through Rotty's hair and surprising the zombie by pulling her deeper into the kiss. Not wanting to be outdone in terms of affection, Rotty cupped Sky's face, brushing her undead thumb against her cheek.

After what felt like forever and not long enough at the same time, she pulled away. Even zombie girls needed to breathe. Rotty gazed at Sky through half-lidded eyes, who bore the same half-lidded and satisfied expression. Sky stared at the adorable undead goofball above her, noting that it was one of the rare times where Rotty ever had red tinting her cheeks.

"I guess you made up your mind, huh?" Rotty asked, sitting up again. Sky sat up too, shuffling next to Rotty and humming in approval. Rotty fell silent again. She was so, _so_ happy she could bounce off the walls, but nervousness about entering a relationship with her crush kept her grounded.

"What's wrong?" Sky turned Rotty's head to face her and saw the nervousness in her eyes. "Nervous?"

"I have never been so happy and excited in my life. Death. Undeath? You get the point. But yes, I'm so nervous that I'm not bouncing off every single wall in excitement," the zombie admitted. Sky nodded in understanding.

"Well, I've never done this with a monster girl, let alone a girl in general, so… we'll be nervous together." She squeezed Rottytops in a tight hug, aiming to comfort her.

"Well when you put it like that… I feel a little better," Rotty chuckled. "Before you forget, what did Risky tell you?"

Sky grunted in annoyance. Though she wanted to explore their new relationship a bit more, there _was_ a more important matter at hand. Anger crept back into her voice as she spoke.

"She said she had made up strangling Shantae's mother to scare her into listening to her. She also said she was in a bad mood from your stupid antics, which led to it, but I feel that she's lying about lying to Shantae."

"She might not be."

Sky shot Rotty a look of curiosity and fury.

"You better not be defending _Risky_ , of all people."

Rotty smiled a little, kissing Sky on the cheek.

"I'm not. But hear me out. Stories say the Pirate Master defeated all the genies, save for one, that one being Shantae. As far as I know when I worked alongside Risky for coffee—what?" Rotty paused when she caught sight of the look Sky was giving her.

"You worked with _her_ , for _coffee?"_ She asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah! You know that it's what stops my brothers and I from tearing everything and everyone apart for brains. Anyway, what I learnt was that the genies' sacrifice to defeat the Pirate Master meant leaving the overworld and disappearing into the genie realm to defend against any further supernatural threats from destroying the overworld. They sorta banished themselves to the realm upon release of so much power, if that makes sense."

Sky nodded as she listened, trying to piece together what Rotty was leading up to.

"So what does this have to do with Risky?" she asked.

"Well, it was my second year of being undead when the events happened, so I heard about it. Every time the Pirate Master 'defeated' a genie, their spirit was sent to the realm to assist those who were still here in the overworld. The final genie used themselves as a weapon to destroy the Pirate Master for good, but there must've been enough dark magic lying around for him to have been reborn. Actually, I think it was because Risky stole Shantae's magic and turned it into dark magic so—"

"Rotty!"

"Alright, calm down you big bird-brain! What I'm trying to say is that the Pirate Master defeated the genies. Alone. Risky wasn't there."

"How do you know she wasn't murdering Shantae's mother somewhere else or earlier on?"

"It took every single genie, save for Shantae, to defeat the Pirate Master. Risky was never strong enough to harm one herself, so she couldn't even hurt one earlier in her career. The only reason she can hurt Shantae is because she's inexperienced."

"And why should I trust you?"

"Are you serious Sky?" Rotty threw her hands up in exasperation. "We were kissing just a few minutes ago, surely you trust me now, considering you trust me with _this_." She ran a finger below Sky's chin, giving her a sultry look.

"What if you're remembering incorrectly?" Sky pressed, pushing Rotty's hand away. Though the two were now in a relationship, the blonde couldn't just believe everything that came out of Rotty's mouth. Then again, the undead girl had proven to be rather intelligent at times. Still...

"Ask my brothers, then. They'll remember more accurately than me, since they're older. At least Abner will, but Poe can surprise you. Or, better yet… ask Risky herself."

"She'll just lie to me, you know that!"

"It's true. All of it." The new voice made Rotty and Sky jump, and both whipped their heads around to see Risky leaning in the doorway. She lacked her sword and hat, but Sky knew better than to think the pirate wasn't dangerous without them. Or at least the sword.

"You're just saying that," she snarled, standing up and stomping over to the pirate. Even though she was slightly shorter than the older woman, Sky could still be intimidating when she needed to be. However, Risky didn't budge or flinch in the slightest. Instead, she let out a sad sigh.

"I fucked up, alright? If the truth will help you trust me, then I'll give you the truth. I met Shantae's mother a few times, but the last time I remember the most." Risky pushed past Sky and took a seat on the bed. Rotty instinctively moved away and Sky went to sit down next to her. "My old boss had her captured, and wanted me to behead her. I went up to her and cut her free. It's one of the only times I disobeyed my master.

"He made sure I was punished for that. I still bear some of the scars from the wounds he inflicted on me at the time." Risky shuddered at the memory. "But, I never regret what I did. A year later and he went to take them all on. I was going through problems at the time, so I never helped him defeat them all. When I heard what he had done and what had happened, I felt sick yet relieved. I was free of him, but… I couldn't help but think of her. The others, I could care less about. I never knew them like I knew her." Risky grew silent, a few tears dripping down her face. Neither Rotty or Sky moved to comfort her, and the blonde spoke what they were both thinking.

"You expect us to believe that and just forgive you for all you've done to us in the past years? You attacked Scuttle Town without a remorse on multiple occasions, then tried to steal Shantae's powers once you learned about it! You never gave a damn about her then, why do you care for her so much now?!" Sky's pitch got higher and higher as anger began to take over her again. Rotty did her best to supress it, hugging Sky tightly and restraining her from pouncing on the pirate.

"Because I thought that if I just stopped caring about everything then I wouldn't feel bad again. I built walls to prevent anyone from breaking my heart again and Shantae just shatters all of them. For years, I've strived for power and riches, only because I've been taught to by a stupid, piece of shit master who wanted all of it for himself. Now that I've been on a break from my plans, I've had time to reflect. My riches don't satisfy me. The power I have over the Tinkerbats is already a lot. Yes, I could be the richest woman in the world, have more power than every leader combined, but what's the point if there's no happiness to it?

"I figured out why I continued to plan and attack. It was because it was my way to see Shantae. I enjoyed my battles against her more than anything, even though I lost every single time. My schemes got grander each time because I wanted to impress her with how 'wicked' and 'evil' I was, but in truth, I just wanted to around her, whether through a fight or through an unstable alliance." Risky sighed, wiping tears from her eyes. "And of course, she saw right through the façade, and came to visit me."

Sky and Rotty stared at the pirate in shock, the latter with her mouth unhinged. Neither knew that the pirate was capable of speaking from the heart and with such genuinity in her words that even Sky found it hard to think she was telling a lie.

"Hold on," Rotty piped up. "You said something about breaking your heart. Did you and Shantae's mother…" she couldn't help but redden at the thought, her zombie mind going straight to the gutter.

"No. We didn't. Someone else who I thought I could trust broke it, but that's a story that I want Shantae to hear first. As for her mother… she was the only person I could ever consider a friend, even though we were naturally enemies." Risky stood up and turned to face the younger duo. "I am not looking for forgiveness. I know I do not deserve it in any sense whatsoever. _But_ , I would appreciate it if you were to help me regain the friendship I have built with Shantae. It's something I took for granted, and it meant more to me than I realised. Are you willing?"

The pirate stuck her hand out, waiting to see what Rotty, and more importantly, Sky would say. Everything she had said was true, and she had no intention of letting Shantae down further by letting her friends down. The two looked at each other, then back to Risky.

"Can you give us a minute? We'll come out when we're ready." Sky's request was simple enough, so Risky nodded and headed out the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Sky turned to Rotty.

"We can't trust her—"

"Do it."

"What?"

"Sky, Risky loves her. You can tell by the way she speaks about her. I have a good feeling that Shantae can turn Risky around and set her on a better path." Rotty held Sky's hands in hers, hoping that it was enough to keep her calm.

"I don't care about Risky's future," Sky growled.

"Then do it for Shantae. You saw how happy she was before this incident. Don't you want that Shantae back?"

Sky looked at Rotty, then at the door, then back to Rotty again. The zombie smiled sweetly, obviously wanting to help Risky. Or help Shantae. It was helping both really, wasn't it? Sky sighed, flicking Rotty on the forehead before walking to the door and opening it. Risky was there, commanding a Tinkerbat to roll up the sails and make sure the anchor was properly grounded. Upon hearing the door open, she snapped at the creature to get to work before turning to face Sky.

"We're doing this for Shantae. _Not_. You. Got it?" Sky said with a scowl, extending her hand. Risky took it, gripping it firmly.

"Thank you. I'll leave you two to your business. I have to plan what I need to say to her." Risky took her leave, heading back above deck and towards her quarters.

Sky returned to the bed, where Rotty was awaiting her on her stomach, legs kicking back and forth in the air.

"I cannot believe you convinced me to work with her," Sky muttered, plopping down next to the zombie. She was quickly dragged down and given a deep kiss, making her feel light. She then felt a wet thing prodding at her lips, and upon realising it was Rotty's tongue, she pushed her off.

"Not yet," she said, looking apologetic.

"That's alright. We'll move as slowly as you want to," Rotty reassured, before giving the blonde another quick kiss. "Does this mean that I'll get to see you without the hood?"

Sky giggled, feeling a little better and wondering why Rotty had this effect on her and so many of her other crushes or dates didn't.

"Maybe in a month. I don't like people who aren't Shantae or my parents seeing my hair."

"But I saw your hair when we were at—"

"Do _not_ speak of that incident, understood?" Sky snapped, jabbing a finger in Rotty's face. Her change in attitude scared the zombie, who nodded quickly in fear for her life. Pleased with the answer, Sky gave her another kiss, which was eagerly returned.

"So, we're girlfriends now?" Rotty asked when they broke away. Sky blushed. The term felt so foreign to her, but at the same time, it felt so right.

"I guess. It's a little weird, but I think I'll get used to it."

"So this means we can have a lot of sleepovers and go on dates and cuddle all the time?"

"Yes, Rottytops."

"So I don't need to convince Shantae to play strip poker now?"

"I'm going to regret this relationship so quickly aren't I…"

"Was that a yes?"

"…Yes."

* * *

 **Will Risky be able to think of what to say to Shantae? Will Shantae complete her mission? Will Sky learn to deal with Rotty's glorious jokes and not question Rotty's hidden intelligence? Will Rotty stop being a pervert?**

 **Likely, likely, maybe, and probably not. Hey, it's rated T for a reason.**

 **So as you can tell, I decided to explain what happened during the defeat of Pirate Master as well as reveal a little of Risky's past. In no way is this canon, this is purely made up for the purpose of my story. I'll expand more on it but that'll be between Shantae and Risky.**

 **Also, hurrah for the complete inability to think of good chapter names. Go me!**

 **Again, my worries are going a little OOC, especially on Risky, and maybe even Sky and Rotty, as well as the repetition of certain phrases. I hope I'm doing alright.**

 **Anyway, typos, criticism, reviews and faves/follow are all welcome and appreciated!**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**

 **Obligatory P.S.**

 **I still haven't decided if Rotty or Sky is better. I've honestly just given up and am going to award them both 2nd place.**


	16. Fury

Shantae burst out of the water in a blur of green and dark blue, transforming into a mouse the moment she landed on the snowy shore. She scurried forward, spotting a tree and quickly climbing it, her paws skittering and clinging onto the rough bark.

Now overlooking the general vicinity, she scouted out for her next objective. Apart from the massive hulk of building and machinery pumping out clouds like no tomorrow, the island seemed pretty natural, if very mountainous and rocky. But then again, Risky had said that there would be traps scattered around, hidden in places that Shantae could easily trigger.

Shantae shook her furry head, not wanting to think about the pirate, even if her words would help her with her task. She refocused, looking for any sort of entrance to the building, which was against a mountain, the front of it fortunately facing her. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no easy entrance into the monstrosity. If only there was some way she could let Risky know that she wanted her to blow a hole in the side of the building for easy access. Not very much the genie's style, but in her current mood…

Smacking the branch she was on with a tiny fist, Shantae retreated back down the tree and transformed back into her human form, keeping her body pressed against it. Taking a quick look around to make sure nobody was around, she exited the safety of her leafy friend and ran forward, straight towards the building.

Any enemies that came into her path were quickly dealt with via a whip of her purple locks or a blast of fire to the face. Gators, bats, and even harpy archers were either burned or flung far away by the genie's attacks and fury.

Anger was foreign to Shantae. She very rarely got angry, and most of her unhappiness was either from sadness or frustration. Even when she used to be more hot-headed, her expressions were out of annoyance rather than anger.

Since it was such a foreign and unknown emotion to her, Shantae didn't know how to deal with it. Risky would get more violent and vocal as she got madder and madder. Sky would sulk for a few days and keep herself locked in her aviary, tending to birds until she felt good enough to talk the problem through. Rotty would… was Rotty capable of being angry?

A question which was sometimes asked of Shantae, people didn't believe that the answer could possibly be 'yes.' She was renowned for a near-permanent smiled plastered on her adorably featured face, very rarely dropping it in the public eye. In privacy, Shantae still kept the smile, only ever dropping it in the presence of her most trusted peers. When she had last been angry, Sky was there to coax her through it.

Now she was alone. She had no Sky with her to act as something to shout at for a while, or bring her goodies to calm her down. With nobody to restrain her, Shantae took the Risky approach; she poured her fury into her attacks, whipping with such intense force it's a wonder she didn't snap her own neck, and turning up the heat so high on her fireballs that most enemies in her way were burnt on the outside, raw on the inside, and mentally scarred for life. Twitch and Vinegar probably wouldn't want these gator steaks any time soon.

As she jumped between floating dirt, rock, and metal platforms that were the sworn enemy of basic physics, Shantae began to lose herself in her wrath. She became reckless and violent, any damage dealt against her returned tenfold. Tears fell down her cheeks as she fought, gaining ground towards the massive cloud factory. She didn't know when she had started crying. She didn't care either. Everything she had worked so hard to gain had been tossed away like a rotten apple.

Risky killed her mother. The woman she believed could change, and admittedly, loved, had killed her mother. Risky was the reason she would never see her mother's face, hear her voice clearly, feel her touch. Why she'd never celebrate her birthday with her, participate in Mother's Day, ask for help in everyday problems.

Reduced to a teary mess, Shantae knocked the last gator off the path, breathing raggedly and coughing spit up, her injuries beginning to burn now that the adrenaline had worn off. Maybe she should return to the Tinkertub and grab a potion or two.

But she'd have to face Risky. She glared at the ground, not wanting to see that traitorous piece of…

Shantae had standards. She wouldn't say it. Well, not aloud at least.

In her renewed anger, she stepped forward, but in the middle of wiping her eyes, she tripped. Falling with a grunt onto the hard ground, alarms blared from the factory, and suddenly, all ready clouds began to release their load of snow. The temperature in the air began to drop severely, ice forming against Shantae's stained cheeks as she rushed to stand back up.

Snow blew against her harshly, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her torso. Not that it would help, considering her outfit wasn't made with low temperatures in mind. All her foul emotions melted into fear as she pushed against the artificial wind, snow piling quickly around her legs, trying its hardest to root her to the spot.

Forcing herself to move forward, Shantae collapsed again, the somehow already packed snow not doing much to soften her fall. Snow landed on her, but she didn't have the strength to get up. Her injuries and energy spent in the last ten minutes were finally catching up to her at the worst time possible.

Shivering severely and her own body temperature falling, the purplette began to lose consciousness rapidly. Images of each of her friends, those she truly loved, flickered through her mind, resting on one final person.

Risky.

* * *

 **Hey hello, longish time no see.**

 **Something short today - I've started uni and I'm prioritising everything I get from it over all my other things, which is why this chapter is both short and late.**

 **Uni is super fun at the very least. One of my subjects is creative writing, and depending on how it goes, I might just make an entirely new fic up for the class and upload it. (Not with named characters - I'll just throw in placeholder OCs for the actual assignment and then swap them out with Shantae characters if it's appropriate.)**

 **Anyway, I've also decided that I'm going to leave this fic for a while, while I figure out how best to go about the rest of it. It won't be too much longer - maybe 2-4 chapters depending on how long I make them. Maybe 7. Maybe 10.**

 **Maybe 429,573,001 to be precise.**

 **This doesn't mean I won't be posting fics still - I have two in the works that I feel like I'm enjoying writing a little bit more than this one at the moment, but once I feel I have a good strategy to come and finish this one I will do so. Maybe I'll actually use my Twitter to keep people updated if they care.**

 **TL;DR Will be putting this on temporary hiatus as I focus on uni, figure out how to achieve a good ending to this, and work on other fics.**

 **Anyway, this A/N is getting pretty long and nothing else I have to say is important. (Except that cats are great pets.) I'll see you in the next chapter! Or fic! Whatever comes first!**

 **Reviews, feedback, and typo pointers welcome.**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**


	17. Truth

**Shantae is owned by Matt Bozon and Wayforward**

* * *

She awoke in a dim, orange light. Moving to stretch, she found that she couldn't, wrapped so tightly in a thick blanket that it was a wonder there was enough room for her to breathe properly. At least she was warm.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, or perhaps more appropriately, the unconsciousness, Shantae looked around once her vision became clearer. She was in a cave, the sound of the howling wind outside echoing throughout the small cavity. A fire was lit, close enough to keep her warm, but not so close that it posed a threat to her, or her hair. Beyond that fire, on the other side, was…

Shantae didn't know whether she should've been joyous, mad, or worried.

Risky Boots leant against the wall, in her own doze. However, her lips looked a deadly shade of blue, and she was shivering in her obviously uncomfortable sleep. Wearing barely more than Shantae, the cold would've gotten to her easily, even if she was hardier than the half-genie.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how Shantae got into that blanket after being buried under a different, colder blanket. Even Bolo would figure it out in seconds. What baffled her was why Risky didn't take something for herself, or why she even came at all.

Secretly, Shantae was a little disappointed that the older woman hadn't shared the blanket with her, while at the same time slightly satisfied that the pirate was freezing to death. Guilt quickly washed over her as she discarded that thought – Risky might've been her arch-nemesis, but Shantae wasn't the type of person to wish harm upon another, whether they deserved it or not.

Putting how she felt about Risky to the side, she focused on something more important; Risky's survival. Friend or foe, she was _not_ about to let her die.

"Risky!"

Shantae's voice was hoarse and weak, barely higher than the crackle of the fire. She cleared her throat and tried again.

" _Risky!_ "

The pirate jolted awake, her sleep apparently light. She slowly turned to face Shantae, moving all of her limbs to feel them again. She smiled a little at the sight of the now awake genie. She struggled to get up, shivering all the while, making her way to the purplette.

Though the smile – a genuine smile, not a smirk – made Shantae feel light, she snapped at Risky when she reached for her.

"Do _not_ touch me. Just sit closer to me, and to the fire." She saw the visible hurt on Risky's face, who surprisingly complied with her wishes. Her voice took on a softer tone. "I don't want you to die, Risky. Even if you did kill my mother."

Risky slumped down closer to Shantae – about a ruler's distance away – staring into the fire and trying to control her shivering. The genie didn't speak to her after that, waiting to see if the pirate would speak up first. Instead, she focused on warming herself up using some magic. She formed a ball of warmth within her hands, guiding the feeling throughout her body. It spread through her arms and into her torso, splitting off to her head and the lower parts of her body.

"I didn't kill her…"

Risky's voice cut through her concentration, breaking the guidance and leaving her lower legs still cold. They'd warm up eventually. Risky's words, however, didn't warm Shantae at all.

"Sure," she replied flatly. She wouldn't fall for another of Risky's lies. Why did she ever trust her in the first place?

"I didn't!" Risky whined in a high pitch voice that was very unlike her normal voice. In a quick turn of events, Shantae turned her head in surprise as the whine dissolved into a sob, the pirate burying her head in her tucked knees. "Sh-she was one of my only friends… I could n-never… never kill her."

Risky lost her resolve and began crying properly, tears freely streaming down her face and being absorbed by the thin material of her pants. Shantae stared in shock at the sudden crumbling of Risky's walls, before kicking herself into action. Wriggling her way out of the blanket, she shuffled closer to the pirate, wrapping an arm around her neck and pulling the blanket over both of them. Surprising her again, Risky didn't swat her away, but continued to cry.

Shantae bit her lip between cooing reassurances to her… rival. If this topic shattered Risky's resolve like this, then maybe, just maybe, she was telling the truth for once.

Eventually, Risky calmed down, reduced to deep breathing. Shantae pondered on what to say. Her head told her not to trust this thieving pirate and to leave her behind in the cave, cold and alone. Her gut, though… it told her that this wasn't a lie. That Risky cared. That this relationship could be salvaged. But could she trust her gut over her head?

"Risky?"

Hearing her name, Risky shifted her head ever so slightly.

"Don't tell me who my mother was. Or what she looked like. I want to find out myself. But… can you tell me what she really was to you?" Shantae asked her question with as much kindness as she could muster; a contrast to her snappy and curtness just a few minutes ago. She placed a hand on one of Risky's, and the pirate finally lifted her head to look Shantae dead in the eyes, vulnerability in her eyes. She nodded her head so timidly that - if the genie didn't know better – it could've been mistaken for her genuine personality.

"She… She was…" Risky paused as she lost herself in recollection. The shadow of the two girls hovered on the wall in the flickering light, and the wind continued to howl outside the mouth of the cave. Shantae heard and saw none of it though, her attention completely fixated on Risky.

"Take your time. Actually, don't we have to stop—" Shantae shut her mouth as Risky shot daggers at her. "Never mind. Take your time."

"Well," Risky sighed, "to me, your mother was…"

* * *

 **I'm back! How utterly unfortunate.**

 **Yes, I did say I was going to leave this fic for while and work on others, and I have, but this idea came to me and I didn't want to lose it.**

 **It's break off uni for a while, so I'll attempt - keyword 'attempt' to update this fic at least one more time. Then I might let it rest for a bit. For reals. I swear.**

 **The next chapter will be a little hard for me, but I'm up for the challenge. I think. Here's a hint: an entire flashback story on a character we know nothing about while also (maybe) not referring to her by name at all.**

 **Is it a good time to say that this story is in no way canon?**

 **Anyway, typos, criticism, reviews and faves/follow are all welcome and appreciated!**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**

 **P.S. I have nothing else to add. The P.S. is obligatory though, so here you go.**


	18. Flashback

**This Chapter is completely non-canon.**

 **Shantae is owned by Matt Bozon and Wayforward**

* * *

"Risky, please. This relationship is toxic and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The two women were in a small bar located on a small island in Sequin Land. The place was alive with cheers and shouts, housing people who wanted a drink, those who were hungry, and even those simply looking for a shelter from the mid-afternoon sun.

Risky had her feet up on a windowsill, flicking through a paper. She was on the front page again for yet another daring and violent raid, but she knew she was safe on this island – money could make a lot of people look the other way. If that didn't work, threats usually did. Very rarely did she have to go through with them, but there had been a few cases where she was forced to.

"Risky…"

"Shut up. What would you know about a relationship? Your husband's dead." Risky cringed as she realised what she had just said. "Sorry. That was uncalled for. Really."

The woman glowered at her before softening her gaze. "I'm just saying, Risky. I can see where this is heading. You might be our enemy, but I still want you to be safe."

"I'm hardly safe just by being around you. I should have put you six feet under already," the pirate shot back.

"Because you want to or because you're told to?"

The question made Risky grimace, not wanting to remember her unwanted bonds. She was meant to kill every genie she found so her master could consume their power and change it into dark magic, allowing him to take over the realm. Yet, her secret best friend was a genie. Risky remembered how she got to know her; being saved by her after the pirate had tried to kill her. The good in Risky told her to let her go, and she had, warning her that she wouldn't get away again. But the woman came back again and again, and as much as Risky feigned distaste and anger towards her, she was appreciative of the outlet that she provided. To be herself when not under the eye of the Pirate Master… whatever 'herself' was.

Still, the question was an uncomfortable one, and she found herself wanting to change the topic.

"How's the kid?"

The woman formed a small smile, understanding why Risky changed topic. It was another reason Risky liked her. No questions, no pushing, just simple understanding.

"She's fine," came the reply, "I left her with her uncle. She loves causing him trouble, and I think he loves it too." The woman had had a child two years ago, a year after Risky had first met her. However, the difference between this genie was that she wasn't quite full genie – her father was a human, something that had caused a bit of a commotion for the genies, but not unheard of before. Risky had even gotten her friend a gift, if rather awkwardly and secretively. Giving a sworn enemy a gift was weird, as well as something she could be punished greatly for. At least she didn't ask where it came from.

"That's nice," Risky said quietly. The child had made Risky very aware of what she had to lose – nothing. Well, not counting her life. But her friend having a baby just made her aware of what she would be responsible for, were she to kill her – the orphaning of a young girl. Even though she was a feared pirate with quite the reputation of mercilessly vanquishing her foes, the thought of taking away a parent never sat well with her, especially since she had never had any.

"You know, you have this look in your eyes when you're thinking about something." The woman giggled a little. "Especially when those thoughts concern me." Risky rolled her eyes and sat up properly as their food arrived, but chose to stay silent. Of course a friend would notice that.

A proper friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?" It was an offer made every time, and the answer would remain the same every time.

"No."

After a short nod and a reassuring smile, the two chatted over lunch and dessert for a few hours, before they both had to return to their normal lives of rivalry.

"I have to go. _He_ is expecting me back tonight, and my master wants a full report on the health of the Tinkerbats.

They got up and made their way to the door, but not before Risky found herself in a crushing hug. She opened her mouth to demand to be let go, but the woman got in first.

"Be safe."

Hesitantly, Risky returned the hug, then stepping away and outside. She turned around to wave one last goodbye, but the genie was already gone.

* * *

The next time the two met was several months later, and it was not in a way that Risky wanted or liked.

Her friend was bound tightly with rope, thrashing on the floor and screaming to be freed. The Pirate Master loomed over her, ready to deliver the final strike, when he was blasted in the back by a fireball. He roared in anger and went to teach his new assailant a lesson, but not before turning to Risky.

"Take her away and finish her," he ordered before launching himself into a battle with another genie. Hastily, Risky dragged the woman into the captain's quarters. She unsheathed her scimitar and raised it threateningly at the genie with a look of steely determination in her eye.

Seconds later, she was on the floor, severing the rope and letting her friend free. She stood up, wide-eyed and in shock.

"Risky! What are you doing?!" She said in a hushed whisper.

"Just go!" Risky snapped. "But punch me hard first. I can take it." She pointed to her left eye. "Go!" The next few seconds were black with white stars as Risky crumpled to the ground from the force of the punch. She opened her remaining good eye to see her friend mouth an apology before disappearing without a trace. Moments later, the Pirate Master burst in to see Risky cradling her head in pain.

"Where did she go!?" He screamed at her, picking her up by her collar and dangling her in front of him.

"She used some stupid genie magic and got out while I had my back turned," Risky lied. She was no stranger to lying, but rarely had she done it for the sake of another. Or to the Pirate Master.

"Why was your back turned!?"

"I was—" Risky never got to finish her sentence as she was thrown across the room and into a wall with a crash, slumping to the wooden floor in even more pain.

"YOU HAD _ONE_ JOB!" The Pirate Master loomed over her, and she began to feel how small and insignificant she really was against her master. She scrambled back until her rear hit where the wall joined the floor, pushing herself flat against the surface as he leaned in closer. "If you do not kill a genie by the end of this month, I will kill you myself and replace you," he spat sinisterly. She nodded rapidly in response, yet found herself picked up by the collar again. "NOW GET OUT!"

Risky was thrown out of the captain's quarters and across the deck of the ship, painfully skidding to a stop as her entire body ached and throbbed. Once she heard the slam of the door, she quickly picked herself up and ran to her own quarters. She shut the door and sank to the floor, only then allowing herself to cry.

It was a few weeks before Risky met her friend again at the same tavern. She was still injured, not only from her master, but from her boyfriend too.

"Risky…"

"I dealt with him. If he tries it again, I'll kill him."

"You say that every time…"

"What would you know, you stupid widow?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, looking away from the agitated pirate, resting her chin in her palm. She thought about her secret friend. Unbeknownst to Risky, most of the genies knew that the pirate was friends with her, and had tried to convince her to convince Risky to turn. She had tried a few times, but soon gave up from fierce resistance. She had admitted her worries about losing her other genie friends and the risk that came with befriending the pirate, but was reassured with words of understanding and small reminders. Understanding that they could be alive one second and dead the next, that this was their job and their sacrifice, and reminders that they would reform in the genie realm and see each other soon were a genie to perish.

But then came times like these, where Risky would insult the woman on a regular basis. She knew it wasn't Risky's true self; that she had been taught to think and say such things. She knew Risky could care – a surprise gift for the birth of her child showed that. But sometimes it made her think that the pirate would never be a good soul again, or sometimes that she was wasting her time by meeting up with the woman.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

Yet, every time Risky apologised, she could tell that it was genuine. She had learnt a lot about the pirate by being around her and could always spot the difference between Risky being legitimate about something or not.

She acknowledged her apology with a short hum, turning back to face the pirate again.

"What did he say after I left?" she asked cautiously. Topics about Risky's master had a tendency to make her violent or quiet.

"Just the usual. Threats of replacement or being killed. That didn't bother me though."

The woman raised eyebrow, her full attention to Risky. Not much bothered the pirate, so it was odd for her to say such a thing. "What did bother you?"

Risky fell silent again, staring into the worn wood of the table. "I have to kill a genie by the end of the month and bring him proof," she murmured, barely able to be heard above the noise of the tavern. "Or I'm dead."

The woman smiled. Risky cared enough about the genies – or at least her – to feel remorse for what she had to do. The smile faded quickly as she realised what the demand meant for Risky. The Pirate Master was extremely powerful and, more often than not, would stick to his words when they involved the death of someone.

Risky had been thrown into a situation to kill or be killed.

The genie knew how much Risky hated not being in control, especially of her own actions. There _was_ good in her, after all. The woman took a deep breath. She liked Risky, for all her flaws, and didn't want her dead. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the pirate.

"No, I will not kill you. Don't bother offering."

Their food arrived, yet neither woman made any effort to eat. The genie studied Risky, taking note of how she wouldn't make eye contact with her; how she slouched in her chair; how she sniffled every once in a while.

The genie pushed Risky's plate towards her with a comforting smile, hoping she could reassure the pirate in some capacity. The pirate took it reluctantly, sitting upright and pretending nothing ever happened. They moved onto other topics, enjoying what they could of their short time together, before eventually having to leave.

As she said goodbye, the genie turned to her friendly rival. "If worse comes to worse… just let me know." Not giving the pirate a chance to answer, she warp-danced away, leaving Risky to mull over her offer.

* * *

Risky growled as she sunk back into her chair, her hand stinging. Her day had been terrible so far. Firstly, a flash storm came overnight, soaking all her washing outside on the line. Then she had discovered her coffee had rotted over the two weeks she was at sea because she hadn't sealed the lid properly, and the stores were closed today. She could've stolen some, but she had tripped over herself and crushed her fruit, leaving a sticky mess on her floor and clothes. In blind anger, she had gone to make herself tea to drink at the very least, only to scald her hand with the boiling water.

She glowered at the clouds outside the window while nursing her hand, sending as much of her hatred of the day at them. She could still feel the stickiness of squashed fruit on her clothes.

The stress she had been through was piling on top of the anger, leaving her in a permanent pissed-off mood over the past three weeks. Her excuse of a boyfriend had stolen from her again, hit her, and had laughed in her face over it. Risky had no idea why she hadn't broken up with him yet – maybe it was the loneliness getting to her after all, convincing her to stay with someone who gave her _some_ sort of affection.

Then there was the genie task. She had one week left and nothing to show for it. Multiple successful raids, robbery, and pillaging had been done, but her master would not be happy if she didn't bring a genie corpse to him by the end of the week.

Getting sick of feeling sticky and feeling her hand should be fine for now, she made her way to the shower, subconsciously stripping herself off as she thought about how she would appease her master. She ran through every scenario in her head if she were to not hold up her word, and none of them ended well for her.

As lukewarm water washed over her, Risky turned her mind to her friend's offer. She didn't want to do it. The genie was one of the only – if not _the_ only – person to accept her how she was, even if she did try to convince Risky to become good every once in a while. Risky truly valued the genie and didn't want to ever lose that friendship, but… it was her life on the line.

 _'And then there's the kid.'_ Risky bit her lip. That didn't make her feel good at all. She knew what it was like to grow up with no parents – she had been dumped at an orphanage shortly after birth, or so she had been told. She was recruited by the Pirate Master years before she even reached her teens and had worked for him ever since. There was no love, or kindness, or treats, or encouragement. Only hatred, punishment, expectations, and rules. Who was she to deny someone what she had always yearned for?

Risky sighed as she turned off the shower. She had a week to do something. Her friend's voice resonated in her head as she dried herself off.

 _'If worse comes to worse…'_

"Four more days," Risky muttered to herself. "Then I'll decide."

She turned around and shrieked as she saw a Tinkerbat hopping urgently extending a claw with a rolled-up paper in it. "Don't you know any manners!?" she screeched as she covered her chest with her arm, holding the towel around her waist, and stomping on the floor. "Get out of my room and _wait_!"

The Tinkerbat scurried away, slamming the door as it exited her bedroom. She grunted as she threw the towel at the door and began rummaging through her drawers for something to wear. Purple seemed like a nice choice.

Or perhaps purple. Maybe purple? Oh, those pants were a very nice purple.

As she got dressed, Risky's thoughts wandered to her genie friend again. She was a nice looking woman, and had gone through a lot with the death of her husband. She always had a positive outlook on situations, and never gave up without a fight. Above all, she was trustworthy, understanding, and caring. Traits that Risky valued a lot. She would be a lovely person to have at her side, visiting often and perhaps fighting against the Pirate Master with her.

Risky dropped her boots as she realised what had just gone through her mind. Did… did she really just think that? She shook her head, scolding herself for letting such an image imprint itself in her brain. She had already given up so much to get to where she was right now, as well as the Pirate Master being ridiculously powerful. They'd never win, even with her knowledge of his few weaknesses.

Yet, as she started brushing her hair and putting on makeup, she couldn't help but think what life would be like with the genie if she did turn and they did claim victory. Perhaps shopping together, eating out together more, the odd babysitting job…

She slammed her fist on the sink as she finished her lipstick, storming out of her room and into her living room before she could grant herself another thought of her friend. The Tinkerbat awaited her, immediately waving the paper at her. She snatched it off the creature, eyes gliding across the words that would probably chastise her for a small error she had made.

Her expression slowly turned to horror as she read.

This wasn't a note from the Pirate Master, nor from her boyfriend. Only a Tinkerbat could write so messily yet remain somewhat legible, and this one had news that chilled Risky to the bone.

 _Master,_

 _Master's master has left to kill all genies. Master's boy say you see friend genie. Master's master say he kill you next and replace with master's boy._

 _You are best master. We don't want boy master or master's master._

 _Please stay?_

Though short and surprisingly comprehensible for a Tinkerbat, the note fell from Risky's limp hands as she realised what had been done.

Her boyfriend had tipped her master off about her friend, and he had gone into a rage and had set to kill them all – with Risky next in line.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times in complete shock, before forming fists and screaming at the Tinkerbat. "WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE IT TO ME EARLIER, YOU COMPLETE _IDIOT_!"

Risky shoved the poor creature aside and snatched her weapons from her rack. She had to warn her friend. She would be punished harshly or even killed, but she didn't care at all, overcome with rage and… a sense to protect.

"Prepare the Tinkertub, _NOW!_ " she yelled at the Tinkerbat, who saluted and scrambled out of her home. She checked to make sure her weapons were loaded, before following suit and heading into the storm outside.

She made a quick detour to someone's house, slamming on the door insistently until it was opened.

"Well, hello there—"

Her boyfriend never got to finish his sentence as Risky blasted him in the face with her pistol, his body stumbling back into the wall behind him and slumping to the floor. Any grief for him was non-existent as Risky rushed to her ship, images of her friend in pain or dying flicking through her head like one of those movie projector contraptions.

Commanding the Tinkerbats expertly, she headed towards her master's location, a Tinkerbat somehow knowing exactly where he had gone. She cursed at the wind going against her, the storm rocking the boat side to side violently, yet not once did Risky care for her own safety. Her _friend_ was in danger. Her only friend…

Hours passed and the ship emerged from the edge of the storm, battered and broken, yet still in one piece. Risky had screamed her throat hoarse but continued to command the vessel until they reached the tiny island where the Tinkerbat said the Pirate Master would be. She swore to herself that if the creature was wrong, she would personally dice it up into evenly sized cubes and feed them to sharks after overnight marination in barbeque and squid sauce.

The ocean became calm and still, the Tinkertub cutting through the water to its destination like a harpy's arrow until, finally, a small stony island came into view. Risky screamed at the Tinkerbats to adjust the sails and drop the anchor, pulling right up beside the island. She saw bodies everywhere, including the large one of her own master. She fell into a panic, jumping from the ship and over his body, looking for the one that mattered most to her.

Risky found her at the edge of the island, close to slipping into the dark depths below. Kneeling next to her, she shook the genie a few times in a futile attempt to see if she was alive. Expectedly, there was no movement, and the pirate allowed herself to cry freely over the loss of her only friend.

Soon, the genie bodies around her began to disintegrate into particles, signalling their departure to the genie realm, her friend being one of the last to go. She held onto her as long as possible, but couldn't stop the inevitable.

And then Risky was alone.

* * *

Risky sobbed and cried into her arms, shivers wracking through her body. She hated reliving that memory more than everything. She hated remembering what she had lost and how helpless she had been.

The incident had sucked all her care for others out of her. She had grown selfish, cruel, and mean for many years, just like her previous master, until she had finally decided to conquer Scuttle Town. Within minutes she had opposition stronger than she had seen in years.

That opposition currently had her arms wrapped around her, cooing reassurances and sympathies as well as crying herself. Truth be told, Risky had completely forgotten about her friend's child until she had stood up against the pirate for the first time a few years ago. Her emergence brought back many happy and painful memories for Risky, which she used to fuel her anger further.

Yet, given all the opportunities, she had never been able to outright kill the girl. Every time she was close to it, an image or memory of the girl's mother would manifest inside of her head, effectively preventing her from going through with the deed.

Over time, Risky began to find herself enjoying the odd companionship she had between herself and the half-genie. Though traits of her mother showed through, Shantae was a completely unique and annoying individual by herself, remaining alluring enough for Risky to come back for more than just taking over Scuttle Town.

Conquering Scuttle Town was definitely the main reason though. Totally.

Somehow, someway, Shantae had managed to break through Risky's already weakened walls during her alliance against the Pirate Master, and the pirate had not been unable to see Shantae in a new light. Painful memories turned into bearable ones, and though Risky wouldn't dare to show it, she was thankful for Shantae's presence just like she was thankful for her friend long ago.

It was all fine until Risky began to develop feelings for the young genie.

Originally, she had just pinned on it being lonely again, yearning for the touch for another person, accusing herself for being weak and needy. Then she had blamed it on Shantae for probably putting some stupid spell on her to make her less aggressive and more likely to spare the purplette. Was that even a thing?

It took a long time for Risky to realise that she was actually in love with Shantae and she had no idea how to feel about that. Was she breaking her friend's trust in some way? Would she have approved?

Could she trust herself?

A voice brought Risky back into the real word, a pair of warm arms still wrapped around her. She noticed she had stopped crying and was now just shivering, but not sure if it was from the cold or from the memories.

"What was that?" she asked.

"I knew there was always good in you," Shantae repeated with warmth in her voice. "You just never believed in yourself."

"There's a big difference between believing in myself and wanting to, runt," Risky said. She sighed. "But after our second fight, I didn't want to hurt you. For myself or for your mother, I don't know why." She paused. "Badly, that is. I still want to hurt you. You suck."

"Aww, are you jealous that I kick your pirate butt all the time because I'm such a good guardian?" Shantae giggled.

Risky scoffed. " _Hardly._ You're a terrible fighter. One sweep to the leg and you're out for the count. I just go easy on you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

Shantae didn't reply, instead opting to lean her head against Risky's shoulder. A flurry of thoughts was going through the pirate's mind, but she remained calm. She loved Shantae. She knew that now. She just hoped her mother would approve. Nothing she could do about that now.

Realising they had been staring at the fire together for a while, Risky shook Shantae off of her shoulder. "Come on. We have a climate to save."

"We?" Shantae asked, wiping the remains of tears off her cheeks.

"No, just you."

"I heard 'we.'" Shantae grinned at Risky adorably, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Fine. _We._ Go do your stupid stuff and I'll provide backup… from the Tinkertub."

"Aww…" the genie whined in disappointment. She straightened herself up, ran a hand through her hair, and gave Risky a hug, surprising the pirate. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're… welcome?" Risky said, returning the gesture slowly. "I'm… I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

"It's fine. But you owe me."

"If you say so—wait, what?" Risky noticed what the purplette had said too late, the girl already running outside into the harsh wind to finish her battle and claim victory.

The pirate shook her head. What was the genie going to ask of her? A date?

Risky smiled. She wouldn't mind that.

* * *

 _ **OH MY GOD I DIDN'T HIT PUBLISH THIS WAS MEANT TO BE UPLOADED THREE WEEKS AGO I'M SORRY.**_

 **Henlo! I'm back in uni and this semester looks super intensive so this might not be updated until the end of the semester if I can figure out where I'm going to from here.**

 **I hope I did well with the flashback. I sat on this for a week editing and changing things constantly until I was adequately happy with the result. I hope you like it too.**

 **Until uni is done there might not be much from me unless I finish another project I've been working on for a while. Sorry, but I want to focus on my classes and get the best results I can.**

 **Criticism, reviews, and faves/follows are welcome and appreciated!**

 **Till next time,**

 **-Tommycats**

 **P.S. My writing unit does provide quite a few prompts that I could easily turn into fics...**


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